A Longshot
Dr. Oculet weighed the package, measured it in every dimension, and then did it all over again.
Three times.
Valentina Terris: "Is there an issue?"
She tried to keep the annoyance out of her tone, and was incredibly unsuccessful. The Doctor took it in stride, murmuring about certainties and heuristics, all while Qwen floated at his hip, double-checking his every move.
Qwen: "No... But this is well outside our tested range. I'm assuming the loss of this item wouldn't be devastating? There's a chance it just appears somewhere in space."
Valentina Terris: "It's a priceless First Ones artifact. One-of-a-kind. It took me decades to locate it." Oculet paused in his ministrations, and gave Qwen a long look. The two of them gulped. Valentina Terris: "Can you do it, or not?"
Dr. Oculet: "I would put our odds at... 50/50?" Qwen nodded, and looked to Valentina for approval. If the item was lost, it wasn't going to be on her head. Valentina sighed... Moments like this made her miss the Dream Team. They rarely questioned her suggestions, doing what was best for the cosmos with a happy little smile. To be fair, those odds would be a veritable daydream for them -- rarely were they so lucky. Valentina Terris: "Let's get started, darlings." The two engineers bobbed with acceptance, and the facade cracked a little. A slight smile appeared on their faces as Qwen poured all of the UPBs and magic foci she'd brought into the loading chamber, and their modified Drift beacon started to rumble with life. Using a dolly, Oculet loaded the slender, metal box into a circle of red caution tape, which the two had meticulously swept and disinfected before she'd arrived. Qwen walked over trailing a thick cable, which attached to a big red button in her hands. Qwen: "Well, you paid for it -- a one way trip to Safarae! The honor is yours." Maybe these nerds weren't so bad after all... Valentina slammed her palm down on the button, and the artifact vanished in a flash of pink-and-purple Drift light.
Valentina Terris: "It's a priceless First Ones artifact. One-of-a-kind. It took me decades to locate it." Oculet paused in his ministrations, and gave Qwen a long look. The two of them gulped. Valentina Terris: "Can you do it, or not?"
Dr. Oculet: "I would put our odds at... 50/50?" Qwen nodded, and looked to Valentina for approval. If the item was lost, it wasn't going to be on her head. Valentina sighed... Moments like this made her miss the Dream Team. They rarely questioned her suggestions, doing what was best for the cosmos with a happy little smile. To be fair, those odds would be a veritable daydream for them -- rarely were they so lucky. Valentina Terris: "Let's get started, darlings." The two engineers bobbed with acceptance, and the facade cracked a little. A slight smile appeared on their faces as Qwen poured all of the UPBs and magic foci she'd brought into the loading chamber, and their modified Drift beacon started to rumble with life. Using a dolly, Oculet loaded the slender, metal box into a circle of red caution tape, which the two had meticulously swept and disinfected before she'd arrived. Qwen walked over trailing a thick cable, which attached to a big red button in her hands. Qwen: "Well, you paid for it -- a one way trip to Safarae! The honor is yours." Maybe these nerds weren't so bad after all... Valentina slammed her palm down on the button, and the artifact vanished in a flash of pink-and-purple Drift light.
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