THREE
Conrad piloted the MEm-PLS class shuttle with the ease that came from years of experience and a mastery of aviation. It was a tan little craft that could seat two in the front and three in the back it necessary. Today only four individuals occupied it for the time being.
Green pointed the ship toward the horizon as the primary of Courscant sluggishly lit-up the early-morning sky. Even at this hour there seemed to be no end in sight to the lines of vehicles buzzing about.
Troy Cracken reclined back in the front passenger seat, gave an audible yawn, and said to his friend, " Explain to me why you woke us all up early this morning and shoved us in the flying tin can."
" It doesn't seem to bother Jados much." Conrad stated.
Behind him, the bandaged and bruised trandoshan slept loudly propped against the window.
" Don't dodge the question."
" Well, I made a few calls last night and found a place that I trusted." Green replied as he slowed to allow a ship to pass by.
" Huh?"
" A ship, saber brain, weren't you listening when I spoke to you last night."
" Not really, you tend to rant and rave sometimes. I've kinda learned over the years to tune you out when you start going on about things that don't interest me much." Troy revealed.
Conrad turned his head to look at him for moment in disbelief. " Are you telling me you enjoy bouncing from ship to ship to get to where you want to go?"
" Actually," Cracken admitted, " it's half the fun. You never know what kind of interesting people you meet that way. Plus, it's a good way to meet women." He chuckled. " You should try it some time."
" Excuse me!" Came the voice from the seat behind him. " He's already taken."
Troy turned and grinned at his sister. " Yeah," He said then looked to Conrad, " For now at least." The Jedi pilot ignored the comment, but Talia Cracken pursued it.
" Just what is that supposed to mean, Troy?" She asked.
Her older brother by five minutes was silent as he faced the front with a devilish smile.
" Conrad?"
" Don't bother with him.' He replied. " He just trying to annoy you."
" Well, it's certainly working." Talia said, folding her arms across her chest. " Why do you have to be such a nerf herder, Troy?"
" Because it's my job." He answered simply.
" Alright settle, children." Green told them. " Don't make me have to separate you two."
" But mesa do'a nothin." Troy explained in a high-pitch impression of a Gungan.
" Control yourself." He reiterated. " We're knights now. We need to set an example for the younger folk."
Troy cleared his throat loudly. " Excuse me, sir. But last time I checked, I was the senior knight in this particular vehicle, thank you very much."
" Ah," Conrad held up an index finger, " But I'm older."
" Tsk. Only by three days, buddy." Green smiled widely, suppressing his laughter. " Sure, if you go by Galactic Standard time." " Most people do." The younger knight commented as he placed his arms underneath his head and closed his eyes. There was silence, than, sensing irritation, Conrad said. " Nobody forced you come, you know." " That's not what it seemed like to me this morning." Troy replied. " I was resting comfortably-which I haven't done in a long time since I was promoted-when you Forced me to wake-up and accompany you to a vehicle dealership on a whim." " I told you last night! " Conrad exclaimed. Mockingly, Troy shot back, " And I you I wasn't paying attention! " The pilot grunted and focused on his gaze on Talia. His ability to drive straight and avoid collisions was unaffected. " If I dumped Troy out of this speeder, do you think anyone back at the temple would care?" " Our mom would." She said honestly. " But she'd get over it--real quick." Troy dismissed the comment and looked to his friend as if they hadn't been arguing moments before. " Why such a rush to by a ship? I thought you might focus first on building a new lightsaber. Unless you're content with a single jeweled apprentice weapon." He fidgeted with his own advanced saber, completed a week before he was even promoted. " Right now, I value transportation over weapons." " Besides," came a deep voice from the back. " Why would Conrad build a whole new lightsaber when he can cram a million gadgets into the old one." Still not opening his eyes to the world, Jados chuckled. " He'd only be happy with some kind of 'super lightsaber' that could like extend like fifty meters into the air. Our graft a propulsion unit to the back so that he could fire it like some kind of 'light torpedo'." The male Cracken laughed. " Or build a blaster into the stock for ranged capabilities." The ridiculed Jedi grinned. " It's crossed my mind a few times." " No, I say he'll turn it into a droid so it can tell him how to fight." Talia chimed in. " Ohhh, low blow, Talia." He said. " But is it true?" Troy asked. " What?" Green replied playfully. " It doesn't sound like a good idea to you?" " Nah." The other Knight conceded. " Just don't go vaporizing yourself." " You fear for my safety? Troy, I'm touched. 'Didn't know you cared." " Not in the least." He shot back. " But if you die, who's got my back in a fight? The Kid?" He jerked a thumb at his twin sister who protested the comment. " The Lizard?" He laughed. " He can't even hold his own in a bar room brawl, for Force sake." " Hey!" Jados sounded. " That abyssin surprised me!" " I'm sure he did." " I held off against a least twenty guys before then. Almost had them surrender." " Well," Troy admitted to Conrad. " Jados could replace you." He looked to the subject of his statement. " But only if Uncle Anakin is around to pull your carcass out of the fire." He returned to Green. " Now there's a true master of Jedi combat. You'd learn a lot from him, Connie. Like how to hold a lightsaber properly." " That's right, Troy, don't let us focus on your sloppy style." His sister defended. " My style? What about yours?" " I'd back off there, Troy." Conrad warned. " You can't win an argument against Talia. Believe me, I've tried." " What's that supposed to mean!" She exclaimed. Conrad began hailing procedures to let the place know they'd arrived on time. " It means: We're here."
Halloran Starships was a long, tan building that stretched over three kilometers of the planet and boasted over a thousand ships of all makes and models on site. Owned by a toydarian named Halloran, the vast complex catered to both private and corporate clientele. It was one of the only starship dealerships on Courscant. Because of that vary fact, Halloran was a billionaire. But still he wished to do all the deals himself. Per his instructions, Conrad set the airspeeder down inside a small, neatly kept hanger that sported a domed roof that slid shut as soon as the craft was in. Promptly, a stout blue alien flew in to the hanger via a side door to meet and greet his customers as soon as they exited their vehicle. Dressed in an obviously expensive black suit and polished shoes, the Toydarian buzzed up to Conrad. " Ah, you must be Mr. Green." He said as the two hands met to shake. " Or is it Jedi Green?" Halloran added as he noticed the group's attire. " Yes. It is, thank-you." Conrad replied. Inside his head, the alien laughed. Ha, Jedi. I'll trick'em out of all the credits they brought and sell them an old junker! " I see you have brought friends. Are they Jedi also?" His face did not betray his thinking. " Right again." Troy announced. Halloran couldn't help but notice their alien friend. A trandoshan Jedi? Ha- ha, now I've seen everything. His focus returned to Conrad. " I am very delighted that you chose my ship yard. I always love Jedi patrons." " Thank-you." Green told him. " We're happy to be here also." " Well, why don't we move to the showroom." Halloran told them, gesturing to the door that he had entered through. " I have a repulsorcart waiting on the other side. Lets see if there is anything on site that you like." " Lead on." Conrad told him. The Jedi followed the stout creature back the way he had came. The portal led to a bright corridor that let out into a massive area filled assorted doorways and passages large enough to fit a rancor through. Sitting alone in the room as the aforementioned repulsorcart piloted by a young human in a neatly pressed uniform and cap. Halloran took the small seat beside his employee and motioned for the Jedi to sit behind. The seats were comfortable and kept heated for guests. Everything in the facility seemed to be taken care of very well, Conrad thought. " Take my special guests and I to the Special Lot." The Toydarian told the man. He gave a curt nod and casually took the craft through one of the large passageways. Along with the superfluous lighting were even more extravagant ferns and plants lining the tunnel to Halloran's Special Lot. Halloran hoped it was all convincing to his customers. If they were to find out he was trying to cheat them, that.Halloran didn't want to think about what could happen. But he knew one thing: Jedi are very perceptive. Two minutes later, the craft exited out into a long hanger filled with ships that appeared to be endless. " What kind of ship are you interested in, my Jedi friends?" The alien asked them. " Fighter-class, shuttles, light-freighters, yachts, perhaps even a light- cruiser? We have everything you'll need. All within New Republic regulations, I assure you." Conrad thought for a moment, then turned to his friends. " What do you think?" " It's your ship, Conrad." Jados said. " Our ship." He was quick to correct. Troy was rubbing his chin in meditation. " The best bet would be a freighter." " Planning on doing some smuggling, friend?" Halloran asked. " Perhaps if we become short of cash." He responded. " But no. The ship we'll purchase will no doubt be putting on a lot of parsecs, as we tend to travel often and far. Freighters are built to fly from one end of the galaxy to the next without refueling. They've got decent speed, maneuverability, shields, and weaponry. But more importantly, they're easily modified-especially the Corellians. Please, stop me if I'm wrong." Halloran chuckled happily on the outside, but cried on the inside. " You certainly seem to know a lot about starships, m'boy. No way I'll push a junker past you." " Thanks, I travel a lot. You tend to pick up few things." Conrad was intrigued. " Do you have any Corellian freighters on site?" " Ah, I knew I should take you to the Special Lot. We got one in last month, I believe. Corellians are hard to come by, you must all know. But I got a good deal on it. It's top-of-the-line, I assure you. But." " But it's going to cost us." Talia finished. Halloran gave a toothy grin. " Normally I would the price would be around twenty million Republic credits. But for you.I charge eighteen and a half. Is this-" " Don't worry about the price." Conrad assured. " Let's just see this ship first." " As you wish my boy." The blue alien looked to the driver. " To the Corellian!" The repulsorcart proceeded down the lane for a while then turned onto another which the cruised through for a kilometer. They'd made their way into the middle of two lines of stock-light-freighter-class ships that came from various regions of the galaxy and from a dozen designers. The one that caught everyone's attention was a gray-silver saucer shaped ship with a cockpit protruding from the middle of the forward hull. Undoubtedly a vessel made from the Corellian Ship Yards. The cart stopped in front of it and the passengers-save the driver- disembarked and approached it. Troy was grinning. " Slap two jutting horns and an outrigger cockpit on in and it'd be the spitting image of Grandpa Han's ship." " Except this one doesn't look like it could fall apart any second from over-modification." Talia noticed. That made Halloran happy. Just wait, he thought. " Not yet." Conrad breathed in awe of what he was beholding. " I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life." " Excuse me!" Talia exclaimed. " You know what I mean, Honey." He told her, though still admiring the ship." Talia crossed her arms across her chest. " You boys and your toys." Halloran flew-up beside them. " You like?" He asked Conrad. Troy and Jados were off inspecting the ventral section of the craft. " Yes." The Knight replied. " I do." " It's a YT-2600. Top of the line." The Toydarian told him. " MiRK-13 Sub- light engines, HASX-23 Hyperdrive generator, Palinthav fuel cells for extended use, and two B-2A12 laser cannons for defensive use. An impressive craft, I assure you. Made only two years ago." Jados and Troy returned. " Can we take a look inside?" The Trandoshan asked as if he were a child. " Why yes, of course." Halloran answered. " Come this way." The group walked over to where the landing ramp was and Halloran keyed in a code for the lock. With a standard hiss, the ramp came to life and lowered to the ground. Inside the mammoth ship were a small lounge that contained a big black chair next to the bulkhead nearest the exit, a small table on the opposite side, and a modest couch that ran its length. Passageways similar to most Corellian freighters flanked both sides of the gray colored walls. The lone passage to the right led straight to the cockpit, Halloran told them. Again, Conrad's friends departed-this time separate ways-to inspect the ship, much to Halloran's chagrin. The alien knew he had to act fast if he was not going to get caught. " What do you think?" He asked. " It.looks great." Conrad admitted. " I think we'll take it." " Ah, very good. Then shall we go to my office and fill out the necessary contracts?" " Not quite yet." The Jedi Knight replied to his surprise. " A problem?" Troy returned from the aft of the ship. " I'd say this boat's worth about seventeen million-if that." Jados appeared from the cockpit. " The wiring in the cockpit looks a bit faulty." He announced. " The Nav computer is busted and the shields get only up to a sixty-percent charge." Halloran gave a nervous half smile. " The MiRK-11 sub-light you have back there has a leaky coolant system, while the HASX-23 is missing a lot of vital parts. This ship won't make lightspeed unless you get out and push." Troy added. The Toydarian was sweating profusely as he slowly backed away. "I.I...I can explain." Conrad folded his arms. " No need to." He replied, then eyed the alien directly. " I'm sure you were unaware of these problems-weren't you." " Why.yes, of course. Those blasted Corellians must have sold me a broken ship." He lied. " Well," The Jedi began. " I was planning on putting some heavy modifications on it any way. Can it safely be flown back to the Jedi Temple?" " Oh yes-yes, of course. It should be fine." Green knew that Halloran wasn't lying, so he said. " I will take it." The Toydarian's tension lowered slightly. " Good. Let's say.eighteen million even?" Conrad opened his mouth to say something, but Talia swiftly imposed herself between them. " Try seventeen, Hal." She told the creature. " If you expect us to pay eighteen million for a pile of scrap like this, then I'm a mentally handicapped Jawa.Do we have a deal?" It was Conrad's turn to interrupt. This time Halloran. " We'll pay seventeen and a half. Deal?" " Seventeen million five hundred thousand credits? I paid more than that." Halloran protested. " C'mon, you wouldn't be trying to swindle four honorable servants of the New Republic, would you?" Halloran thought it over then muttered something. " What was that?" Conrad asked. The Toydarian let out an angry sigh. " I said 'Deal'."
" You're clear for landing in bay 1." The hanger controller said over the comm. of the Corellian YT-2500 freighter. " Copy." Conrad replied. " Thank-you." He switched off the craft's communications system and gently brought it into the docking bay usually assigned to any personal transports the Jedi Council or special guests may have. Since it was the largest of all the hangers in the facility and relatively unused, Conrad was allowed to use it temporarily to house his new ship, though it was going to need to be moved for the upcoming repairs and modifications. " All right." Conrad said to his co-pilot. " Lower the landing gear." Beside him, Talia Cracken scanned the console for the right switches. "Which one is it?" " Right under your hand there." She found the switches and flipped them all down. With a creak, four big durasteel struts descended from the bowels of the house-size ship and slowly made contact with the hard floor. The vehicle rumbled to a halt and Green shut her down. The Jedi slumped back in the pilot's chair and blew out a big sigh. Talia did also. They were alone on the yet-to-be-named ship. Troy and Jados had had the job of taking the airspeeder back and were expected in bay 1 in the next few moments. Without any warning, Conrad leaned over and kissed Talia on the lips. He held it there. After a moment, Talia pulled back with a confused grin. " What was that all about?" Conrad shared her expression. " You handled that ship dealer pretty well to day. You know I could have paid the full eighteen million credits." " Eighteen and a half!" She corrected. " But that wasn't the point. Just because you have the money doesn't mean you should pay more for less-it's not the Jedi way. Besides, it'll make Halloran think twice next time he tries to hoodwink another honest customer." Conrad sat back. " Well-well-well. Perhaps the little girl will become a Knight someday." Talia leaned back and huffed. " Yeah. Someday." The proven Jedi furrowed his brow. " What's that supposed to mean?" " My mother is too preoccupied with deciding if others are ready to notice that I 'm ready." Talia explained. " At this rate, I'll never be promoted." " I could talk to her if you'd like." Conrad suggested. Talia shot forward. " I can handle myself, thank-you very much! " " I wasn't implying anything." Cracken calmed. " I know." She relaxed and leaned toward him again. "Though she would listen to you. We all know you're here favorite." The two locked lips again. Conrad sensed the presence of Jados and Troy coming up the ramp. He flipped a switch on the console and the pilot den door slid shut and locked.
Conrad piloted the MEm-PLS class shuttle with the ease that came from years of experience and a mastery of aviation. It was a tan little craft that could seat two in the front and three in the back it necessary. Today only four individuals occupied it for the time being.
Green pointed the ship toward the horizon as the primary of Courscant sluggishly lit-up the early-morning sky. Even at this hour there seemed to be no end in sight to the lines of vehicles buzzing about.
Troy Cracken reclined back in the front passenger seat, gave an audible yawn, and said to his friend, " Explain to me why you woke us all up early this morning and shoved us in the flying tin can."
" It doesn't seem to bother Jados much." Conrad stated.
Behind him, the bandaged and bruised trandoshan slept loudly propped against the window.
" Don't dodge the question."
" Well, I made a few calls last night and found a place that I trusted." Green replied as he slowed to allow a ship to pass by.
" Huh?"
" A ship, saber brain, weren't you listening when I spoke to you last night."
" Not really, you tend to rant and rave sometimes. I've kinda learned over the years to tune you out when you start going on about things that don't interest me much." Troy revealed.
Conrad turned his head to look at him for moment in disbelief. " Are you telling me you enjoy bouncing from ship to ship to get to where you want to go?"
" Actually," Cracken admitted, " it's half the fun. You never know what kind of interesting people you meet that way. Plus, it's a good way to meet women." He chuckled. " You should try it some time."
" Excuse me!" Came the voice from the seat behind him. " He's already taken."
Troy turned and grinned at his sister. " Yeah," He said then looked to Conrad, " For now at least." The Jedi pilot ignored the comment, but Talia Cracken pursued it.
" Just what is that supposed to mean, Troy?" She asked.
Her older brother by five minutes was silent as he faced the front with a devilish smile.
" Conrad?"
" Don't bother with him.' He replied. " He just trying to annoy you."
" Well, it's certainly working." Talia said, folding her arms across her chest. " Why do you have to be such a nerf herder, Troy?"
" Because it's my job." He answered simply.
" Alright settle, children." Green told them. " Don't make me have to separate you two."
" But mesa do'a nothin." Troy explained in a high-pitch impression of a Gungan.
" Control yourself." He reiterated. " We're knights now. We need to set an example for the younger folk."
Troy cleared his throat loudly. " Excuse me, sir. But last time I checked, I was the senior knight in this particular vehicle, thank you very much."
" Ah," Conrad held up an index finger, " But I'm older."
" Tsk. Only by three days, buddy." Green smiled widely, suppressing his laughter. " Sure, if you go by Galactic Standard time." " Most people do." The younger knight commented as he placed his arms underneath his head and closed his eyes. There was silence, than, sensing irritation, Conrad said. " Nobody forced you come, you know." " That's not what it seemed like to me this morning." Troy replied. " I was resting comfortably-which I haven't done in a long time since I was promoted-when you Forced me to wake-up and accompany you to a vehicle dealership on a whim." " I told you last night! " Conrad exclaimed. Mockingly, Troy shot back, " And I you I wasn't paying attention! " The pilot grunted and focused on his gaze on Talia. His ability to drive straight and avoid collisions was unaffected. " If I dumped Troy out of this speeder, do you think anyone back at the temple would care?" " Our mom would." She said honestly. " But she'd get over it--real quick." Troy dismissed the comment and looked to his friend as if they hadn't been arguing moments before. " Why such a rush to by a ship? I thought you might focus first on building a new lightsaber. Unless you're content with a single jeweled apprentice weapon." He fidgeted with his own advanced saber, completed a week before he was even promoted. " Right now, I value transportation over weapons." " Besides," came a deep voice from the back. " Why would Conrad build a whole new lightsaber when he can cram a million gadgets into the old one." Still not opening his eyes to the world, Jados chuckled. " He'd only be happy with some kind of 'super lightsaber' that could like extend like fifty meters into the air. Our graft a propulsion unit to the back so that he could fire it like some kind of 'light torpedo'." The male Cracken laughed. " Or build a blaster into the stock for ranged capabilities." The ridiculed Jedi grinned. " It's crossed my mind a few times." " No, I say he'll turn it into a droid so it can tell him how to fight." Talia chimed in. " Ohhh, low blow, Talia." He said. " But is it true?" Troy asked. " What?" Green replied playfully. " It doesn't sound like a good idea to you?" " Nah." The other Knight conceded. " Just don't go vaporizing yourself." " You fear for my safety? Troy, I'm touched. 'Didn't know you cared." " Not in the least." He shot back. " But if you die, who's got my back in a fight? The Kid?" He jerked a thumb at his twin sister who protested the comment. " The Lizard?" He laughed. " He can't even hold his own in a bar room brawl, for Force sake." " Hey!" Jados sounded. " That abyssin surprised me!" " I'm sure he did." " I held off against a least twenty guys before then. Almost had them surrender." " Well," Troy admitted to Conrad. " Jados could replace you." He looked to the subject of his statement. " But only if Uncle Anakin is around to pull your carcass out of the fire." He returned to Green. " Now there's a true master of Jedi combat. You'd learn a lot from him, Connie. Like how to hold a lightsaber properly." " That's right, Troy, don't let us focus on your sloppy style." His sister defended. " My style? What about yours?" " I'd back off there, Troy." Conrad warned. " You can't win an argument against Talia. Believe me, I've tried." " What's that supposed to mean!" She exclaimed. Conrad began hailing procedures to let the place know they'd arrived on time. " It means: We're here."
Halloran Starships was a long, tan building that stretched over three kilometers of the planet and boasted over a thousand ships of all makes and models on site. Owned by a toydarian named Halloran, the vast complex catered to both private and corporate clientele. It was one of the only starship dealerships on Courscant. Because of that vary fact, Halloran was a billionaire. But still he wished to do all the deals himself. Per his instructions, Conrad set the airspeeder down inside a small, neatly kept hanger that sported a domed roof that slid shut as soon as the craft was in. Promptly, a stout blue alien flew in to the hanger via a side door to meet and greet his customers as soon as they exited their vehicle. Dressed in an obviously expensive black suit and polished shoes, the Toydarian buzzed up to Conrad. " Ah, you must be Mr. Green." He said as the two hands met to shake. " Or is it Jedi Green?" Halloran added as he noticed the group's attire. " Yes. It is, thank-you." Conrad replied. Inside his head, the alien laughed. Ha, Jedi. I'll trick'em out of all the credits they brought and sell them an old junker! " I see you have brought friends. Are they Jedi also?" His face did not betray his thinking. " Right again." Troy announced. Halloran couldn't help but notice their alien friend. A trandoshan Jedi? Ha- ha, now I've seen everything. His focus returned to Conrad. " I am very delighted that you chose my ship yard. I always love Jedi patrons." " Thank-you." Green told him. " We're happy to be here also." " Well, why don't we move to the showroom." Halloran told them, gesturing to the door that he had entered through. " I have a repulsorcart waiting on the other side. Lets see if there is anything on site that you like." " Lead on." Conrad told him. The Jedi followed the stout creature back the way he had came. The portal led to a bright corridor that let out into a massive area filled assorted doorways and passages large enough to fit a rancor through. Sitting alone in the room as the aforementioned repulsorcart piloted by a young human in a neatly pressed uniform and cap. Halloran took the small seat beside his employee and motioned for the Jedi to sit behind. The seats were comfortable and kept heated for guests. Everything in the facility seemed to be taken care of very well, Conrad thought. " Take my special guests and I to the Special Lot." The Toydarian told the man. He gave a curt nod and casually took the craft through one of the large passageways. Along with the superfluous lighting were even more extravagant ferns and plants lining the tunnel to Halloran's Special Lot. Halloran hoped it was all convincing to his customers. If they were to find out he was trying to cheat them, that.Halloran didn't want to think about what could happen. But he knew one thing: Jedi are very perceptive. Two minutes later, the craft exited out into a long hanger filled with ships that appeared to be endless. " What kind of ship are you interested in, my Jedi friends?" The alien asked them. " Fighter-class, shuttles, light-freighters, yachts, perhaps even a light- cruiser? We have everything you'll need. All within New Republic regulations, I assure you." Conrad thought for a moment, then turned to his friends. " What do you think?" " It's your ship, Conrad." Jados said. " Our ship." He was quick to correct. Troy was rubbing his chin in meditation. " The best bet would be a freighter." " Planning on doing some smuggling, friend?" Halloran asked. " Perhaps if we become short of cash." He responded. " But no. The ship we'll purchase will no doubt be putting on a lot of parsecs, as we tend to travel often and far. Freighters are built to fly from one end of the galaxy to the next without refueling. They've got decent speed, maneuverability, shields, and weaponry. But more importantly, they're easily modified-especially the Corellians. Please, stop me if I'm wrong." Halloran chuckled happily on the outside, but cried on the inside. " You certainly seem to know a lot about starships, m'boy. No way I'll push a junker past you." " Thanks, I travel a lot. You tend to pick up few things." Conrad was intrigued. " Do you have any Corellian freighters on site?" " Ah, I knew I should take you to the Special Lot. We got one in last month, I believe. Corellians are hard to come by, you must all know. But I got a good deal on it. It's top-of-the-line, I assure you. But." " But it's going to cost us." Talia finished. Halloran gave a toothy grin. " Normally I would the price would be around twenty million Republic credits. But for you.I charge eighteen and a half. Is this-" " Don't worry about the price." Conrad assured. " Let's just see this ship first." " As you wish my boy." The blue alien looked to the driver. " To the Corellian!" The repulsorcart proceeded down the lane for a while then turned onto another which the cruised through for a kilometer. They'd made their way into the middle of two lines of stock-light-freighter-class ships that came from various regions of the galaxy and from a dozen designers. The one that caught everyone's attention was a gray-silver saucer shaped ship with a cockpit protruding from the middle of the forward hull. Undoubtedly a vessel made from the Corellian Ship Yards. The cart stopped in front of it and the passengers-save the driver- disembarked and approached it. Troy was grinning. " Slap two jutting horns and an outrigger cockpit on in and it'd be the spitting image of Grandpa Han's ship." " Except this one doesn't look like it could fall apart any second from over-modification." Talia noticed. That made Halloran happy. Just wait, he thought. " Not yet." Conrad breathed in awe of what he was beholding. " I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life." " Excuse me!" Talia exclaimed. " You know what I mean, Honey." He told her, though still admiring the ship." Talia crossed her arms across her chest. " You boys and your toys." Halloran flew-up beside them. " You like?" He asked Conrad. Troy and Jados were off inspecting the ventral section of the craft. " Yes." The Knight replied. " I do." " It's a YT-2600. Top of the line." The Toydarian told him. " MiRK-13 Sub- light engines, HASX-23 Hyperdrive generator, Palinthav fuel cells for extended use, and two B-2A12 laser cannons for defensive use. An impressive craft, I assure you. Made only two years ago." Jados and Troy returned. " Can we take a look inside?" The Trandoshan asked as if he were a child. " Why yes, of course." Halloran answered. " Come this way." The group walked over to where the landing ramp was and Halloran keyed in a code for the lock. With a standard hiss, the ramp came to life and lowered to the ground. Inside the mammoth ship were a small lounge that contained a big black chair next to the bulkhead nearest the exit, a small table on the opposite side, and a modest couch that ran its length. Passageways similar to most Corellian freighters flanked both sides of the gray colored walls. The lone passage to the right led straight to the cockpit, Halloran told them. Again, Conrad's friends departed-this time separate ways-to inspect the ship, much to Halloran's chagrin. The alien knew he had to act fast if he was not going to get caught. " What do you think?" He asked. " It.looks great." Conrad admitted. " I think we'll take it." " Ah, very good. Then shall we go to my office and fill out the necessary contracts?" " Not quite yet." The Jedi Knight replied to his surprise. " A problem?" Troy returned from the aft of the ship. " I'd say this boat's worth about seventeen million-if that." Jados appeared from the cockpit. " The wiring in the cockpit looks a bit faulty." He announced. " The Nav computer is busted and the shields get only up to a sixty-percent charge." Halloran gave a nervous half smile. " The MiRK-11 sub-light you have back there has a leaky coolant system, while the HASX-23 is missing a lot of vital parts. This ship won't make lightspeed unless you get out and push." Troy added. The Toydarian was sweating profusely as he slowly backed away. "I.I...I can explain." Conrad folded his arms. " No need to." He replied, then eyed the alien directly. " I'm sure you were unaware of these problems-weren't you." " Why.yes, of course. Those blasted Corellians must have sold me a broken ship." He lied. " Well," The Jedi began. " I was planning on putting some heavy modifications on it any way. Can it safely be flown back to the Jedi Temple?" " Oh yes-yes, of course. It should be fine." Green knew that Halloran wasn't lying, so he said. " I will take it." The Toydarian's tension lowered slightly. " Good. Let's say.eighteen million even?" Conrad opened his mouth to say something, but Talia swiftly imposed herself between them. " Try seventeen, Hal." She told the creature. " If you expect us to pay eighteen million for a pile of scrap like this, then I'm a mentally handicapped Jawa.Do we have a deal?" It was Conrad's turn to interrupt. This time Halloran. " We'll pay seventeen and a half. Deal?" " Seventeen million five hundred thousand credits? I paid more than that." Halloran protested. " C'mon, you wouldn't be trying to swindle four honorable servants of the New Republic, would you?" Halloran thought it over then muttered something. " What was that?" Conrad asked. The Toydarian let out an angry sigh. " I said 'Deal'."
" You're clear for landing in bay 1." The hanger controller said over the comm. of the Corellian YT-2500 freighter. " Copy." Conrad replied. " Thank-you." He switched off the craft's communications system and gently brought it into the docking bay usually assigned to any personal transports the Jedi Council or special guests may have. Since it was the largest of all the hangers in the facility and relatively unused, Conrad was allowed to use it temporarily to house his new ship, though it was going to need to be moved for the upcoming repairs and modifications. " All right." Conrad said to his co-pilot. " Lower the landing gear." Beside him, Talia Cracken scanned the console for the right switches. "Which one is it?" " Right under your hand there." She found the switches and flipped them all down. With a creak, four big durasteel struts descended from the bowels of the house-size ship and slowly made contact with the hard floor. The vehicle rumbled to a halt and Green shut her down. The Jedi slumped back in the pilot's chair and blew out a big sigh. Talia did also. They were alone on the yet-to-be-named ship. Troy and Jados had had the job of taking the airspeeder back and were expected in bay 1 in the next few moments. Without any warning, Conrad leaned over and kissed Talia on the lips. He held it there. After a moment, Talia pulled back with a confused grin. " What was that all about?" Conrad shared her expression. " You handled that ship dealer pretty well to day. You know I could have paid the full eighteen million credits." " Eighteen and a half!" She corrected. " But that wasn't the point. Just because you have the money doesn't mean you should pay more for less-it's not the Jedi way. Besides, it'll make Halloran think twice next time he tries to hoodwink another honest customer." Conrad sat back. " Well-well-well. Perhaps the little girl will become a Knight someday." Talia leaned back and huffed. " Yeah. Someday." The proven Jedi furrowed his brow. " What's that supposed to mean?" " My mother is too preoccupied with deciding if others are ready to notice that I 'm ready." Talia explained. " At this rate, I'll never be promoted." " I could talk to her if you'd like." Conrad suggested. Talia shot forward. " I can handle myself, thank-you very much! " " I wasn't implying anything." Cracken calmed. " I know." She relaxed and leaned toward him again. "Though she would listen to you. We all know you're here favorite." The two locked lips again. Conrad sensed the presence of Jados and Troy coming up the ramp. He flipped a switch on the console and the pilot den door slid shut and locked.