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Post by Kitt Laindarell on Oct 7, 2018 14:31:53 GMT -5
Sikrit dropped neatly out of hyperspace into orbit about Celwis. The journey had been long but, surprisingly, less eventful than Kitt had feared. While the unknown regions remained wild and uncharted, some few hundred years ago the Chiss had dropped a line of hyperspace beacons, extending their Vaagari Corridor nearly to the Core. While the reclusive nation was still off limits to foreigners – except a very select few – technically independent worlds like Celwis could act as intermediaries with the outside world.
The system didn’t look like it had benefited much from the arrangement though. The space above the planet was filled with junk: a mess of space-stations, satellites and ships. Some were lit up and functional; most were derelict hulks. Below, on the planet itself, sprawling cities cut into the native woodland like wounds, surrounded by vast brown planes where the forests had been cut back. Despite this, a steady flow of ships made their way between the surface and the more illuminated stations. The clean, functional lines of Chiss trading ships were distinct amongst the local junkers.
“Eugh. Not much glamour, this place.” Kitt was sitting at the pilot's controls on the expansive bridge with Jack and CT 317 behind her, the grand transparisteel bow of Sikrit granting a panoramic view of the system. Her impromptu crew had functioned quite well so far, though the droid's attitude was beginning to wear on her. It’s thinly-veiled distaste of Jack, particularly once it found out he would be joining them, was no doubt a result of its dislike of unknown factors; but the innate tendency towards fussiness common to most protocol droids had become 317’s defining feature. Jack, on the other hand, she’d found to be quite amicable company. Especially as he’d proven quite adept at negotiating passage through the border patrols of the various petty realms patchworked the galaxy.
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Post by Ashen Crucifere on Oct 9, 2018 14:44:51 GMT -5
Watching the planet come into view only made Ashen realize how much he disliked flying. Even though the bacta had helped most of his wounds caused by himself, he still felt that nauseous feeling swell up in his stomach. "Yeah, no surely not the best eye candy. Ever seen Coruscant? Pffft, outside looks dark and bleak. On planet...about the same." He chuckled trying to forget that sickening feeling. "317 here might be able to tell you more...he enjoys talking anyways. Huh?" He gave the droid a slight nudge to the side, not that it would feel it. "Honestly, I don't anything about this planet, most of what I told those checkpoint officers were lies, and common knowledge. I'm more surprised it work."
"So...what's the plan? Still aint got a clue to what we are hauling." He finished,.
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Post by Kitt Laindarell on Oct 11, 2018 16:40:52 GMT -5
“Coruscant? Sure. Couple of times. Fast trade lane to Corellia.” Her first trip had been along the Corellian Run, the core part of which was still probably the safest and most used hyperspace lane in the galaxy. “Pretty lights though.” The droid was more than happy to pontificate, though it did an admirable job of studiously ignoring Jack entirely. “What records I have deem this system to be somewhat of a high-tide mark for the Chiss. I have records of at least seven large battles they have fought here over the last nine-hundred years. Even now the official border is some parsecs away, the Ascendency considers it part of their zone of control. I imagine they have taken steps to ensure no local powers become too prominent.” “And the contact?” Kitt prompted. 317 had been remarkably cagey about the details of the deal, even to her. It had only given her the planet once they were halfway through Unknown Space. She suspected Gatsko had given it a way to communicate with the buyers. “We’ll be landing in Cteslaph. It’s one of the larger cities in the southern hemisphere. Buyers will meet us there when we land... And what the cargo is, Master Jack,” the droid turned to him with an impression of sternness, “is not your concern.” Behind the droid’s back, Kitt waved her hand dismissively at the droid’s theatrics and flicked her tail – her species equivalent of rolling her eyes. “Gatsko dug up some old tech. Some kind of focusing crystals. Worth a bit. Not exciting though.”
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Post by Ashen Crucifere on Oct 14, 2018 5:32:55 GMT -5
Ashen could feel that same feeling, but the conversation before him was distracting him. He had to keep up the facade that he was just a man named Jack, and keep talking to keep up this fake personality. All of it, though, seemed pointless once he was finally told what was in the box. Crystals? What would he do with crystals? Gems of any sort were usually nice and sold for a pretty pinch, but Ashen didn't do that kind of business. Maybe if someone wanted to know where a large amount were at he could sell that information.
Somewhere inside his mind, there was a sigh. All this for nothing.
"I see." Was all he said.
He had, however, found Kitt's company pleasant, and intellectual. The droid could be done without, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
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Post by Kitt Laindarell on Oct 19, 2018 11:04:50 GMT -5
“Independent Trader Sikrit.” A clipped, Chiss voice broke in through the ship’s comms “This is Cteslaph Control. You have been assigned berth 1257-d. Please follow the marked lanes.” “Huh?” The interruption rather surprised Kitt, she had not contacted the planet, and she certainly hadn’t arranged for a berth. On most planets, arranging a landing in a built-up area could take a good hour, and a hefty permit charge. Someone must have arranged for their arrival. She shot a look at the droid, whose metal Bith features remained impassive.
“Ah. Understood control. Marking path now.” She set the console to comply with the landing instructions. She didn’t like how little information she was getting on this job. She was starting to feel more like a delivery girl than the skipper of a large ship. The droid wouldn’t budge from its instructions, but she made a mental note to give Gatsko an earful for leaving her on a need-to-know basis next time she saw him. “Oh well Jack. Negotiations were short for once.”
The beacons turned out to be quite necessary to avoid the cloud of shrapnel that enveloped the planet and, as Sikrit glided lower, they were afforded an even better view of the planet below. Cteslaph wasn’t the largest of the planet’s cities but, even from orbit, it glowed with the fires of great furnaces and a brown haze of smog hung over hundreds of miles around it. Kitt always loved this part: swooping down on a new planet – even one as wrecked as this one. For Jack’s sake though, she kept the flight as smooth as possible. He hadn’t mentioned his motion sickness, but it was difficult to hide.
Their berth wasn’t part of the city’s spaceport, but rather a landing pad somewhere in the outskirts. Concrete warehouses, with wooden upper-stories and shingle rooves dominated, but with the neon glow of more populated streets cutting through the precinct like ribbons. Expertly, Kitt swung Sikrit around to land on the pad. Another concrete strip, not unlike the one she’d left on Corellia, though this time surrounded by tall warehouses that occluded the evening sun. A boxy freighter stood on a pad opposite.
For the first time, Kitt felt a tad trepidatious. If all went smoothly, this could be the deal of a lifetime (and on, what, her sixth run?) but there were certainly a lot of oddities with this deal, and this smoggy planet felt a long way from the civilisation of the core... “Shady place, yes?” she said under her breath. Jack at least felt to her like someone who’d be more familiar with this sort of thing. Maybe. Perhaps she was stereotyping. Humans always struck her as roguish sorts.
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Post by Ashen Crucifere on Oct 20, 2018 11:48:35 GMT -5
While Ashen had little to no experience with Chiss, the concept that they were now in the grips of one the most reclusive and paranoid beings in the galaxy was unnerving to the man. People spoke about the ruthless abilities of the Chiss, if they for any reason felt they were threatened by the crew, Ashen was sure this was the last time he would be breathing.
"Yeah, but short negotiations arn't always a good thing. Let's keep our heads on our shoulders. Treat them like a large reptile, no sudden movements." He attempted at a joke.
Ashen did have to admit, though, Chiss worlds were beautiful in their own way that distinctly separated them from other planets. Everything seemed so neat and tidy.
"Like a shade of blue?" Ashen made a racist joke in good faith. He had nothing against the Chiss personally, but the blue skin was very out there for any species that generally looked like any other human. "Maybe I outta stay quiet for a bit, yeah? Don't need to be the reason we get thrown in a cell because they can't take a joke."
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