Just another nail

[inactivechar01]

[member="Dunames Lopez"]


In the Ambrian system, more specifically in the edge of it, a lone freighter floated. Piloted by a Trandoshan thief. On board his freighter were the stolen goods. Safely packed with universal jammers were 5 Void-7 seismic charges in 5 different crates.

The Trandoshan, one Thyys, awaited impatiently the arrival of the smuggler. The co-ordinates that were given to arrive to dispatch his cargo were only inhabited by the thief's small freighter. Soon enough, he believed, the smuggler would arrive and his part for the Cause would be done for today.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Ambria was a system that was not often traveled to. After the Neimoidian Yacht servicing the weekly flight to Hosnian Prime departed the spaceport, which not even Maersk Star Freight or Bluth Company would service, there was enough space for everyone to travel in a Pullman cabin and still have enough space for about six high-cube intermodal containers. That is, half the ship internal devoted to cargo: today's 24 passengers would fly in all comfort to Hosnian Prime, with meals made by the Roto-Rooter unit installed onboard and the holotrays for watching all the holographic entertainment available on Hosnian Prime or Ambria. After being contacted to fly bombing runs (and intoxicate, as it turns out) Thakwaash for the First Order, surely delivering some crates left adrift by some Trandoshan spacer in distress would feel more like what she used to do.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen, we are encountering a distress signal sent out by a Trandoshan spacer. Once we are done responding to its distress signal, we can go on our way to Hosnian Prime"

The Wookie passenger, in a fit of rage, attempts to smash open the door of the cockpit; what he doesn't realize is that the cockpit door is made of the same stuff that keeps pressurized interiors, well, pressurized. While the Wookie passenger fruitlessly smashes against the door of the cockpit, Dunames approaches the source of what she told was a distress signal, while, in actuality, it was a jammer doing the reverse of a distress signal, bringing the ship to a complete stop.

[member="The Harbinger"]

 

[inactivechar01]

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

Finally.

The Trandoshan hailed the yacht that just arrived, knowing perfectly well that this was the smuggler hired. It was a bit surprising for Thyys to see a smuggler use a yacht but hey, who was he to judge?

"<I am donning the space suit and I will transfer the crates to you. Open your hatch. >" The thief said over the com, contacting the smuggler.

Without waiting for an answer, Thyys was already on his way to put a space suit and carry the crates through space to the yacht's hatch. It was all he could do since his ship did not have a boarding ramp.

"<Is the hatch open? I am prepared to disengage from my ship. >"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Responding to distress signals like that one usually requires the responding ship to open its cargo hatch or its boarding ramp. So the "distress signal" was, in fact, answered. Once Dunames maneuvered in position to receive the crates, she decided to open the aft cargo hatch, suspecting that some dangerous cargo, explosives even, may be afoot. But, so long as they do not detonate in flight or the end users have no intention of detonating them on Hosnian Prime, she would be all good. That, if the universal jammers were, in fact, surrounding explosives. Universal jammers would make the ship oblivious to most scanners; they needed to be activated for the whole plan to work. And Lanever Villecham Starport was a place that had little security by virtue of getting little traffic. To Hosnian Starports, the more traffic there is in a given starport, the more security needs to be posted.

"Aft cargo hatch open"

With the cargo hatch being open on the Neimoidian Yacht flying the weekly Ambria-Hosnian Prime service (there was another weekly service to Ringo Vinda but there was three days of delays between each flight) the Trandoshan spacer of the distress call began loading the crates filled with seismic charges...

[member="The Harbinger"]

 

[inactivechar01]

The loading of crates did not take long, it were only five of them. The repulsorlift helped with their moving and Thyys was glad that this operation was finally over. The pay was good and whatever happened with those crates was none of his business. Returning back to the cockpit, he disengaged the hatch of his ship and then tapped the com to connect with the yacht.

<"Cargo's loaded. A person with the number of the shipment will come to take them over from your warehouses on the spaceport. Discretion has been requested and expected. Over and out.">

The Trandoshan thief cut the transmission and lit up his sublight engines. It was time to go and relax after this long week of work

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"Ladies and gentlemen, now that the rescue operation of the Trandoshan spacer is over, we will proceed to Hosnian Prime without further delay"

"Aft cargo hatch closed" Merrily, the WA-7 unit, told Dunames.

"Merrily, lightspeed to Hosnian Prime!"

The Wookie passenger realized that the Trandoshan spacer in the distress signal Dunames referred to didn't leave the ship launching the distress signal, and that none of the five crates is large enough to contain one, unless the Trandoshan was cremated, so he stopped smashing the cockpit door. And he promptly got back to his cabin before the jump to hyperspace was made. By now the passengers were placated and they stopped panicking while the flight to Hosnian Prime continued. They did not suspect that what was inside the cargo was actually five sonic charges, which were dangerous to handle and that universal jammers would not be able to absorb the shock if one accidentally detonated in-flight.

[member="The Harbinger"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Hosnian Prime's Lanever Villecham starport was still rather deserted but by now Star Tours had almost complete control over the landing slots of that spaceport, giving Star Tours a presence in the Core while Coruscant was being rebuilt, with contributions from Star Tours itself. Most other hubs of Star Tours were around the Mid and Outer Rims: Nar Shaddaa, JanFathal, Ringo Vinda, Eriadu, now Hosnian Prime. They do significant business on Lanteeb, Lipsec, but they weren't hubs by any means. Especially not in the condition the Bant'ena Fhernan Spaceport was. But a few hours later, still undetected by the Republican patrols or some other such things, they dropped out of hyperspace, with the universal jammers activated so that they could not detect what was onboard the cargo hold. Dunames knew that she was but only vaguely aware as to how the smuggling operations worked groundside.

"Villecham approach, cleared for landing, docking bay 4"

"Roger, Villecham approach, will land docking bay 4"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

The Lanever Villecham starport was slowly becoming something other than a white elephant: it was just slow to catch on among spacelines. Even so Star Tours was far and away the main user. It may have been nominated as one of the most improved spacelines in the latest awards by Hyperspace Traveler, Star Tours was still not exactly at the same level as the likes of Maersk Star Freight or Bluth Company, the former being mostly bulk/container freight, the latter being more like what Star Tours is to become. But Star Tours' nomination for the Most Improved Spaceline award was built on numerous violations of the Factory Judges, as it pertains to the hauling of otherwise harmless substances, like alusteel, transparisteel, and knowing that internal volume puts a straitjacket on how much they can violate FJs. And docking bay 4 puts the Neimoidian Yacht on the lowermost level - hopefully where the client wishing for sonic charges would pick up both the universal jammers and the seismic charges.

"We have arrived at our destination. Please unlatch your safety restraints and pick up your carry-on bagage. On behalf of the crew, we hope that you enjoyed your flight and hope to see you again soon!" Merrily said.

"May the injured Trandoshan spacer in the cargo hold get access to first aid soon!"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Presumably due to the nature of the cargo, the client for the sonic bomb shipment had a protocol droid come in and appose the stamp of approval at the bottom of the waybill being sent to sonic bomb. Sure it leaves a paper trail on Star Tours' side, but Star Tours has had it share of criminal activities to show for it, with rumors abounding that large-scale attacks were in the works by unknown clients. But the client delivering a bomb was using a comlink to ask for the contents of what they wanted out of this. It arrived on time safely, and with the rest of the passengers, She was to go to all haste to Ringo Vinda, with another AT-AT barge laden with 525 passengers, from where they will proceed to other corners of SSC space and, in some cases, Mandalorian.

"Five sonic bombs, each contained in crates filled with universal jammers?"

"Roger. They were extracted from the ship after the rest of the baggage. Right here for you to deliver to wherever you want"

"For 5,000 credits I got universal jammers and sonic bombs delivered right here on Hosnian Prime"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

5,000 credits represented all the revenue that Star Tours made from other sources, that is, from regular passenger and cargo deliveries, from that particular flight. Not much, but the operating costs of a Neimoidian Yacht amounted to about 1,000-2,000 credits for each day of flying in spaceline service, if you consider the maintenance that goes into it. But until then, she could go hit the shops on nearby Fifth Avenue. But not long before she could leave the spaceport premises, the crew of Hyperspace Traveler, covering the "white elephant spaceports" of the galaxy, stumbled upon the Lannever Villecham Starport, with Dunames in it. To the crew of Hyperspace Traveler, Dunames would instantly mean that Star Tours is not far behind. So they expand on the opportunity to actually break the news to Dunames at the spaceport's exit.

"Congratulations, Dunames! Star Tours just won the Most Improved Spaceline award!"

"High-quality seats with a wide array of entertainment available on the holotray and the ability to provide food tailored to the endpoints of the flight, as well as the selection of duty-free merchandise available onboard are the main elements in the turnaround that improved the passenger experience"

"How was that even possible to even afford such things? Tailoring in-flight meals to the endpoints of the flight can be done at minimal expense, but to have all the seats outfitted with holotrays on the second deck of an AT-AT barge is not something that is done cheaply"

"We know what works and what doesn't when it comes to making the most out of the volume, especially as it pertains to the bulk transportation of merchandise, so long as it doesn't endanger the ship itself"