Galactic Exchange (Chapter One)
The streets of Coruscant were always crowded. Garish lights were hung from buildings, projecting the names of cantinas, and shops. Couples, young and old, crowded the streets. Children bobbed and weaved through the crowds, their parents yelling after them. Conversations were carried at a dull roar, in hundreds of languages, thousands of dialects. Shady looking characters hung out in alleyways. Many of them wore gang colors, and carried weapons. Others were bartering over different narcotics, weapons, and other stolen items.
He continued to push his way through the crowds. Several holovid players were broadcasting news. Apparently, the Rebellion was pushing the Empire back. Only parts of the Core Worlds, and the entire Deep Core remained in Imperial hands. The Sith were dead. The Jedi were returning. The galaxy was being swapped into Rebel hands. Boba Fett was recalling the Mandalorians. He had received the message yesterday. A young couple shoved past him, their hands joined together. They were speaking together, their words easily audible.
"Are you ready for tonight, hun?" The female of the couple asked, she was closest to the alleys.
"I..uh…" Her partner stammered, but was stopped short by his girl's scream. A man had leapt out of the alleyway, grabbing at the girl. As he pulled her into the alleyway, she screamed again, struggling against her captor. Her boyfriend stood there, shocked, but was soon pushed out of the way. Gwywir Garzo pulled his blaster from a jacket pocket, and handed it to the boy, which he now noticed to be a young man.
"Come, now." Gwywir said, pulling another blaster from his jacket. The man didn't move. "You going to let your girl get raped? Let's go, now." Screams still permeated from the alley, some civilians had paused, confused. "Let's go!" He all but screamed this, and pulled the man into the alley.
"I've… I've never shot a gun before." The man stammered, still shaken.
"Well, you'll have to learn." Was all the reply he got. They were jogging now. Another scream, and they were sprinting. It wasn't hard to track the man, he had left plenty of signs. "Stop." Gwywir said, placing a hand against his companion's chest. He had heard laughing, and sobbing. There was a door nearby, and he approached it slowly. The noises grew louder, and when he reached the door, another scream rent the air.
"Please, please! Don't!" She sobbed. "I-" He heard a hand slap the flesh of her cheek. Her sobbing grew louder.
"You asked for it girl." A man's voice. More laughter. "Now, you're gonna get-"
He kicked the door, breaking it down inwards, breaking the rusted metal hinges. He fired twice, sending men scattering. Time seemed to slow as adrenaline kicked in. He was able to count the scattered bodies. One on the floor, obviously the girl, she was unconscious. Four others, definitely her assailants. A blaster bolt rent the air near his head. Gwywir rolled, and came up to his feet, firing again,
and hitting a man in the gut, killing him. The young man came in now, and fired once, hitting his target square in the chest.
"For Mandalore!" Gwywir shouted, taking up the ancient war cry of his ancestors. He fired again, and again, killing one man. His companion fired as well, striking the last man in the chest.
"I thought you've never shot before, kid." Gwywir said, retrieving his loaned-out weapon, and placing it in his jacket pocket, along with the other.
"I haven't, but I've hunted with a bowcaster." Came the cocky reply.
"Well, we saved your girl, now get her out, before any authorities come along." Gwywir said, clasping hands with the man quickly, before heading for the door.
"What's your name?" It was a cautious question.
"I am called Gwywir, but that is all I can tell you."
"I am called Jerek." The man said, but he said it to air, for Gwywir was gone. "Odd…"
His partner, Ben, had come, flying an airspeeder. Gwywir jumped into the passenger seat. He heard voices at the street side of the alley as they flew back into the air traffic of Coruscant.
"I got you call, and traced it to your location." Ben said simply.
"Good work, had to save a girl from some overzealous men." Gwywir replied. They had been friends and partners for years. Ever since Felucia. (But that is a story for another time.)
"Yeah, well, it was easy work." He was weaving through the crowded 'streets' of Coruscant. Travel here was fast-paced, and required skill to traverse so casually.
"How's theTracinya?"
"She's good. Your armor is resized to fit you, by the way. You grow too damn fast." That only reminded Gwywir of their ages. At sixteen and seventeen, they were a bit young to be in the position they were in.
"Thanks, my friend."
"Of course. We also have a new smuggling deal."
"Already?"
"Already."
"What are we shipping, to where, and how much for it?"
"Chak-root. Abo Dreth. We'll be getting about ten thousand credits."
"Ten thousand?" Gwywir exclaimed. That was a large sum, especially to him, having been mostly poor all his life.
"It's a large shipment." Was his only explanation.
"Has the chak-root been loaded yet?"
"It has."
"Good, we need to leave, and quickly."
"Why?"
"We may have authorities on us soon."
"Ahh."
"That's it?"
"We've had authorities on us for years."
"True, how much further?"
"Right here." Ben whipped into a sharp turn, landing the airspeeder in a large hangar. A large, sleek ship filled it. The Tracinya was an Etti Lighter, heavily modified, of course. Along with the stock parts, it could hold more food, and had several extra missiles systems, backed up by ten quadlaser cannons, along with several proton lasers, and ion cannons. The one hundred-twenty-five meter ship was equipped with a hyper drive. The Tracinya was capable of carrying four hundred tons of cargo. But, most interesting of all, was the fact that the Tracinya was equipped with a droid brain, and it was capable of firing its own weapons, and advanced auto-piloting.
"Here she is."
"Beautiful, as always." Gwywir said, hopping out of the airspeeder. Ben followed, and pressed a button on a remote, deploying a boarding ramp. Gwywir and Ben boarded the ship to prepare for the departure from Coruscant.