Private Sounds like a Journey.

[Aiden Porte]

Hyperspace
En Route to Kuat
Alina Grayson

The mission to Kuat carried with it the weight of both secrecy and peril. The world was no mere waypoint, it was the beating heart of the galaxy's war machine, home to the sprawling Kuat Drive Yards, a fortress-shipyard ringed around the planet like a crown of steel. Its docks and platforms stretched into orbit, birthing the warships that decided the fate of empires. Every corridor, every hangar bay, every access conduit was watched by engineers, and security droids.


The assignment was simple in words, but deadly in practice: infiltrate Kuat and rescue a Noble by the name of Jaina Kadnessi , ensure her safety and extract her from the location. Since the fall of the Alliance to the Empire. The Core Worlds were in tatters, many were fleeing the onslaught of the Empire's might. Aiden for the last few months had been conducting rescue missions deep into the heart of Imperial territory and here was another. He would have help this time, the newly Knight Jedi would be assisted by a good friend and Jedi Master Alina. He had fought with her a time or two and persuaded her to join the Republic of Naboo, now directed as the High Republic.

Recon reports had painted the picture of a labyrinth of scaffolding, thrumming with the constant roar of engines and welding torches. Shadows stretched long across the skeletal frames of half-built destroyers, where sparks rained like falling stars. No doubt the Empire would be looking to begin their conquest once more after they secured the area.

Aiden Porte sat in the pilots seat, his hand resting on his chin, he looked to be deep in thought for the past several moments. He hoped they would receive word from Jaina very soon. They couldn't afford to wait any longer. The ship he possessed had its stealth capabilities so they would be able to slip through seemingly undetected. However once they landed, it was to be a different story.

"What do you think, Alina?" Aiden inquired as his concentration broke and he looked over to her.


For the two Jedi, Kuat was not just another mission. It was a descent into the lions den where steel was forged and there was a price to be paid in blood.

 

[Alina Grayson]

Alina stood at Aiden's side in the cockpit, her gaze fixed through the transparisteel canopy as Kuat rose into view.

It was impossible to ignore. Not just the planet, but what surrounded it the endless web of shipyards, scaffolds, and drydocks forming an iron halo above the world. Colossal destroyers stretched out each surrounded by swarms of lights and movement. Sparks rained like comets from spires that pierced the stars, and the low hum of industry seemed to resonate even through the hull of their ship.

She had never been here before. And even through years of war and training, it stole her breath for a moment.

"Maker…" she murmured under her breath, the words barely audible. "It's like a forge that never sleeps."

Her attention shifted as the console blinked with an incoming transmission. Aiden pulled it up, the encryption flickering briefly before stabilizing. A voice, calm and clipped, filtered through:

"Transmitting coordinates, we can talk here."

Alina stepped forward, eyes scanning the terrain data. "It's… remote. A utility access path by the looks of it. Cargo shuttles probably use it to bypass the noble estates entirely."

She glanced toward Aiden, voice low. "Smart. If someone's trying to stay hidden, this is where they'd be."

Her fingers brushed lightly over the hilt hidden beneath her travel cloak disguised, but never far. Her armor was gone for this mission, replaced with practical clothing built for movement and silence. Even her presence in the Force was quieter, more restrained a candle in the distance, not a beacon.

"Well, lets go rescue a noble."

Aiden Porte

 

[Aiden Porte]

Aiden's hands tightened briefly on the flight controls as Kuat loomed larger in the canopy, the planet's iron halo of scaffolds and drydocks stretching farther than his eyes could track. He didn't often let himself pause—there was too much to do, too many calculations—but even he had to admit, it was awe-inspiring. Sparks rained past like distant fireworks, each one a reminder that this world never rested, never slept.

He stole a glance at Alina. She was already focused, eyes scanning the utility path data like a hawk. He admired that about her—always three steps ahead, even when the galaxy was a blur of threats and opportunity. He was glad she agreed to accompany him on this mission, she was a good friend to him.

"Quiet, clean, fast," he muttered under his breath, the mantra rolling off his tongue as naturally as breathing. The engines hummed beneath them, in sync with his pulse, a mechanical heartbeat that mirrored the planet's own. "No fireworks… unless we absolutely need them."

The ship angled toward the hidden route, slipping between the skeletal frames of destroyers under construction. Sparks glimmered past like falling stars, and Aiden could almost feel the heat radiating from the welding arms through the hull. The thought made him tighten his grip slightly—control here wasn't just important, it was survival.

"Smart. If someone's trying to stay hidden, this is where they'd be."

"Well, lets go rescue a noble."

He shot her a glance, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Ready?" His voice was low, calm, but steady.

He exhaled slowly, letting the tension drain for just a second. Then he let the ship slip forward, engines quieting as much as they could, hugging the shadows of massive hulls and scaffolds. Every twist of the corridor mattered. Every spark, every moving crane could be their undoing. But that only made the thrill sharper. Aiden felt the familiar rush—the mixture of danger, purpose, and the unspoken trust he had in Alina. This wasn't just a mission. This was precision in motion, a dance across the edge of chaos, and he intended to make sure they both came out of it alive.

The ship passed by without a hitch, path towards their designated landing on the planets surface.

Alina Grayson