Prologue
Tranton Strople shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he sipped his beverage; a local favorite he'd been told. Wincing at the alcoholic drink's strong flavor, something he would guess to be closer to Hutt sweat than anything else, he scanned the establishment's unsavory cliental. This was not the type of place he normally frequented. He supposed it was appropriate, if not a bit clichéd, for the business he was there to conduct.
A shapely twi'lek strolled to his table and sat down, seductively moving her pink tentacles as she flashed a shy smile. "Buy me a drink handsome?"
He looked at her in disgust. He never understood what human males found even remotely attractive in trans-species relationships. Maybe it was all the propaganda the Empire dished out discouraging such relationships, or maybe it was just plane old good taste - something he was confident he had plenty of - but the only emotion he felt when he looked at her was pity.
He shook his head with an air of disinterest, purposely casting his gaze at a very attractive woman a few tables away. The twi'lek merely shrugged and got up.
"Your loss sweetheart. I was feeling generous tonight."
He cringed inside as he thought about the number of men she'd no doubt felt generous with in the past. This was why he hated the Outer Rim.
"What's wrong Strople, she a bit too much for you?"
He turned to see his contact approach with two drinks. The man sat across from him, sliding one of the drinks in his direction. He grimaced as saw that it was the same drink he'd been sipping on.
"The bartender says it's a local favorite. I see you've already indulged. Any good?"
Strople looked at him with annoyance. "I have a funny suspicion it's been tested for chemical warfare only to be deemed to inhumane to use."
His contact laughed heartily before gulping down his corellian ale.
"I see you passed it up for something a little more traditional," he wryly inserted.
The contact shrugged with a humorous grin. "You know me Strople; I've never been one to live on the wild side."
"Oh yes, I forgot you like do things the safe way. That's why you called me out here to this gods forsaken pit to discuss what I can only assume to be classified Imperial information."
The contact shrugged again. "You know me too well."
Strople replied with a smile of his own. "So let's have it Gat. What treasonous act do you need me to do?"
Gat Westlen scanned the bar for eavesdroppers. Satisfied that their conversation was their own, he leaned in, absent mindedly fingering the rim of his mug. He continued to smile but his eyes were stone hard serious.
"You know that conversation we had a while back where you pointed out that the only profitable business was an illegal one, namely smuggling?"
Strople nodded, leaning in to hear Gat's lowered voice. "Yeah, I remember. You said it was a fool's idea if I recall. You said that if the Hutts didn't find me than Lord Vader would, probably due to an anonymous tip from the Hutts."
"Well, what if I offered you the chance to smuggle in a territory that the Hutts can't touch."
Strople huffed under his breath, shaking his head. "The Hutts are everywhere. You know that."
Gat just smiled playfully, like a child with a secret they couldn't wait to tell. Instead of replying he merely placed a small object on the table.
Leaning in, Strople strained to see it in the bar's dimly lit atmosphere. Picking it up, he carefully inspected it. Puzzled, he placed it back down and shrugged.
"Okay, just what the hell is it?"
Gat again scanned to make sure the object hadn't attracted any unwanted attention before replying. "It's a piece of artwork from a planet called Bryum. It's made of an alloy unlike anything we've ever seen. Harder than any known metal, it's light, very durable and it naturally shields against radiation without the poisoning effects that most alloys have."
"And they use it to make art?"
"They use it to make everything. There so much of the stuff that you can purchase it for next to nothing."
Strople looked at it again, frowning. "So what's the catch? Why can't the Hutts get their hands on it?"
"Because, only a select few in the Empire know about it. Bryum isn't in any of the known regions."
"Where is it than?" Strople asked, his curiosity peaking.
"In a galaxy known as the Milky Way. The only way to get there is through a black hole in the Maw Cluster."
Strople burst into a fit of laughter, drawing a few looks from surrounding tables. Gat joined in to give the appearance of two drunken friends sharing a joke.
"You can't be serious! A black hole?" Strople said a little too loud.
"Lower your voice you idiot!" Gat stressed in a hushed voice. "Three years ago the Empire constructed and successfully tested a craft specially designed for black hole exploration. They discovered a whole new galaxy. The Emperor himself led an invasion on some small planet called Earth. Ever since, they've been exploring other systems, secretly expanding the Empire."
"If that's true," Strople began with a frown, "than just how the hell am I supposed to get to this Bryum? I don't know if you noticed but I don't have any black hole star craft in my humble fleet. Not to mention that the Empire no doubt has the black hole in question under tight security."
Gat smiled knowingly, sipping his ale.
"Okay, so what's your plan then?"
Gat's smile grew wider. "Join my fleet. I've been stationed to Bryum overseeing the mining operations. As the leading Imperial officer I'll have access to, let's just say, 'extra' quantities of the alloy. If you came with me I'd see to it that you were in charge of shipments to various locations in the Empire. Should some of the 'extra' bryumine alloy disappear during the shipments…"
"You want me to join the Imperial Navy? I thought you knew me better than that."
"Do you realize how rich we could become? This alloy is just the scratch on the surface. There are thousands of worlds yet to be discovered with their own unique gifts just waiting to be smuggled. Weapons, new technology," he paused and raised his mug, "recreational stimulants. The list goes on and on."
Strople considered his words, sipping on his pungent concoction. "The Hutts would actually be coming to us for business. We could have them eating out of our hands."
"Exactly," Gat said. Raising his mug in a toast, he smiled. "To our new partnership."
Strople raised his in return, clinking the mugs together. "Why the hell not? Let's do it."