I thought it was just another appointment like the weekly one with the
managers. I had no clue what I was bargaining for. -Emaz Sneet's Log aboard
the Brilliance of Starco
The vice president looked around the sparsely furnished office. Once again, his secretary had scheduled an appointment for him and only told him the time and where he needed to be. He hadn't a clue who was coming, but he did know that they had specifically asked for him. Nobody specifically asked for him. Not in a business situation anyway. He looked at his chrono. They should be there any time. He turned to look over all the parked ships being refueled. They weren't all that busy at the moment and had he wanted to, he could have counted them. One in particular caught his eye. It looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd seen it before. A Corellian freighter with an airfoil from another craft sturdily mounted on the side.
While he was trying to remember it, the door opened and his secretary sent two sentients in. When he turned and motioned them to sit, he realized that they also seemed somewhat familiar. "Hello," he greeted, leaning forward to shake the Twi'lek's blue hand. "How can I help you?"
She glanced at her human partner who muttered to her, "Are you sure we can tell him without knowing he'll help?"
Although she didn't particularly approve of having their own conversation in front of someone else, she answered his question. "Jess seemed to trust him."
At that moment, Emaz finally recalled who these people were and where he'd seen that ship before. "Jess Cadyue? What's she need? What's going on? Why didn't she come here herself if she needs help?"
The Twi'lek, who he remembered as Janua Dar, spoke up. "To put it simply, she was imprisoned by Imperials and we have to get her out." She let her words sink in. "The New Republic has to deal with Organa Solo being stuck on Corellia and doesn't really have time to deal with any other 'possible' threats."
"Then we'll want to infiltrate their ranks," Emaz announced. Raising his hand to point to Dantien, he continued. "The only problem is that he'll have to do it alone."
A large grin appeared on the mechanic's face. "You'll help us then?"
"Jess and I have been friends for a long time. There's no way I couldn't help."
What the Gand had said to provoke his question finally registered in his head. "Wait! Me? I won't have a clue what to do, surrounded by Imperials in their own system!"
Confusion evident by the back and forth movement of his eyes, the businessman asked, "What am I missing here?"
"They hired us and gave us coordinates to go to. There, we found their underground base in an uninhabited system," answered Janua informatively.
"Okay then." He sat and thought for a moment. "We'll have to take my ship; they'd recognize yours. It's Imperial, so we're going to look like we're lost. We'll follow a straight course until they contact us at which point, we'll head toward the base. We'll say we're travelers and we want to go to a planet that has a giant canyon."
"But there's tons of those," Janua objected.
"I know. It'll take time to tell us where we're supposed to go." He stood again. "I'll tell you the rest while we're in hyperspace."
Following his lead, the others got up and trailed him out the door and into the hallway. "We need to stop at the *Vornskr* and tell the others. Should they come with us?" she questioned, hoping the answer would be no.
With his reply, he granted her wish. "No, I only have uniforms for two and the Brilliance of Starco isn't all that big."
"What is it?" Dantien, being an experienced mechanic and extremely interested in starships, wondered what model he would be privileged in flying or riding in.
"It's an old *Sentinel*-class landing craft, why?"
"Just wondering," he replied, already lost in thought. The ship was also known as an Imperial landing craft and looked much like the *Lambda*-class shuttle that seemed to have been favored by the Emperor and Darth Vader. While the latter could hold twenty passengers and took a command crew of four for top performance, the landing craft could carry fifty-four with a command crew of two or three. This was because it didn't have a bulky hyperdrive. How then would they go to Kitzlym? Without going into hyperspace, it could take decades to go from the Outer Rim to the Core Worlds. He'd probably find out soon. A look of concern unconsciously crept onto his face.
They walked the remainder of the station in silence. When they stepped out into the huge, boxy hanger that was the heart of the station, they split up, Emaz strutting toward the *Brilliance of Starco,* the other two jogging to the *Gungan Vornskr.* One ship might have been as new as the beginning of the downfall of the Empire, the other as old as the original Republic, yet both shared a mission of retrieval.
Janua stepped inside to talk to Elibex and Prat who were to be left in charge. Dantien checked the outer hull for any signs of damage, wear, or just something that wasn't right. After all, while he was gone, there wouldn't be a certified mechanic onboard to fix anything at a moment's notice. He wanted the *Vornskr* to be in the best of shape, especially when he wasn't there. By the time he was done with his thorough inspection, his coworker was finished lecturing the "kids," as they'd taken to calling the younger crew members. Finished with all responsibilities to the ship and the company, the pair began to make their way to the elegantly painted company ship they would be residing in until they were back home. Upon entry, Dantien saw that much of the space inside was taken up by a fairly good hyperdrive, which answered the question that had arisen in his mind earlier.
the Brilliance of Starco
The vice president looked around the sparsely furnished office. Once again, his secretary had scheduled an appointment for him and only told him the time and where he needed to be. He hadn't a clue who was coming, but he did know that they had specifically asked for him. Nobody specifically asked for him. Not in a business situation anyway. He looked at his chrono. They should be there any time. He turned to look over all the parked ships being refueled. They weren't all that busy at the moment and had he wanted to, he could have counted them. One in particular caught his eye. It looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd seen it before. A Corellian freighter with an airfoil from another craft sturdily mounted on the side.
While he was trying to remember it, the door opened and his secretary sent two sentients in. When he turned and motioned them to sit, he realized that they also seemed somewhat familiar. "Hello," he greeted, leaning forward to shake the Twi'lek's blue hand. "How can I help you?"
She glanced at her human partner who muttered to her, "Are you sure we can tell him without knowing he'll help?"
Although she didn't particularly approve of having their own conversation in front of someone else, she answered his question. "Jess seemed to trust him."
At that moment, Emaz finally recalled who these people were and where he'd seen that ship before. "Jess Cadyue? What's she need? What's going on? Why didn't she come here herself if she needs help?"
The Twi'lek, who he remembered as Janua Dar, spoke up. "To put it simply, she was imprisoned by Imperials and we have to get her out." She let her words sink in. "The New Republic has to deal with Organa Solo being stuck on Corellia and doesn't really have time to deal with any other 'possible' threats."
"Then we'll want to infiltrate their ranks," Emaz announced. Raising his hand to point to Dantien, he continued. "The only problem is that he'll have to do it alone."
A large grin appeared on the mechanic's face. "You'll help us then?"
"Jess and I have been friends for a long time. There's no way I couldn't help."
What the Gand had said to provoke his question finally registered in his head. "Wait! Me? I won't have a clue what to do, surrounded by Imperials in their own system!"
Confusion evident by the back and forth movement of his eyes, the businessman asked, "What am I missing here?"
"They hired us and gave us coordinates to go to. There, we found their underground base in an uninhabited system," answered Janua informatively.
"Okay then." He sat and thought for a moment. "We'll have to take my ship; they'd recognize yours. It's Imperial, so we're going to look like we're lost. We'll follow a straight course until they contact us at which point, we'll head toward the base. We'll say we're travelers and we want to go to a planet that has a giant canyon."
"But there's tons of those," Janua objected.
"I know. It'll take time to tell us where we're supposed to go." He stood again. "I'll tell you the rest while we're in hyperspace."
Following his lead, the others got up and trailed him out the door and into the hallway. "We need to stop at the *Vornskr* and tell the others. Should they come with us?" she questioned, hoping the answer would be no.
With his reply, he granted her wish. "No, I only have uniforms for two and the Brilliance of Starco isn't all that big."
"What is it?" Dantien, being an experienced mechanic and extremely interested in starships, wondered what model he would be privileged in flying or riding in.
"It's an old *Sentinel*-class landing craft, why?"
"Just wondering," he replied, already lost in thought. The ship was also known as an Imperial landing craft and looked much like the *Lambda*-class shuttle that seemed to have been favored by the Emperor and Darth Vader. While the latter could hold twenty passengers and took a command crew of four for top performance, the landing craft could carry fifty-four with a command crew of two or three. This was because it didn't have a bulky hyperdrive. How then would they go to Kitzlym? Without going into hyperspace, it could take decades to go from the Outer Rim to the Core Worlds. He'd probably find out soon. A look of concern unconsciously crept onto his face.
They walked the remainder of the station in silence. When they stepped out into the huge, boxy hanger that was the heart of the station, they split up, Emaz strutting toward the *Brilliance of Starco,* the other two jogging to the *Gungan Vornskr.* One ship might have been as new as the beginning of the downfall of the Empire, the other as old as the original Republic, yet both shared a mission of retrieval.
Janua stepped inside to talk to Elibex and Prat who were to be left in charge. Dantien checked the outer hull for any signs of damage, wear, or just something that wasn't right. After all, while he was gone, there wouldn't be a certified mechanic onboard to fix anything at a moment's notice. He wanted the *Vornskr* to be in the best of shape, especially when he wasn't there. By the time he was done with his thorough inspection, his coworker was finished lecturing the "kids," as they'd taken to calling the younger crew members. Finished with all responsibilities to the ship and the company, the pair began to make their way to the elegantly painted company ship they would be residing in until they were back home. Upon entry, Dantien saw that much of the space inside was taken up by a fairly good hyperdrive, which answered the question that had arisen in his mind earlier.