Milk run delivery (open to all)

[Dunames Lopez]

Dunames is a little dizzy after the last flight on a jumpseat (i.e. a ticket used by staff to ferry them from a location to another) which, unfortunately, cannot count towards the Mileage Bank. She finds herself in the crew lounge of some spaceport she never flew to before. Perhaps the Bowser has been attacked while she slept onboard the Bowser on some bucket seat. On that flight to that world, she was just looking like some unremarkable human female and somehow lost consciousness to the point of not awakening upon landing.

"Where am I?" Dunames asked upon opening her eyes.

"The captain scheduled to fly this flight has called in sick. You will have to fly the Bowser in his stead" the dispatcher warns her once she awakens in the crew lounge.

"Just in: there is some client that paid a huge deposit to ferry several thousand tons of top-secret cargo to Nar Shaddaa and is loading up as we speak. That client did not have enough space to handle the entire cargo by himself, and hired some help."

The only memory she can conjure of Nar Shaddaa in her addled mind was the advertisement of the Deluxe Action-Adventure Package, which ran on vidscreens in many spaceports served by Star Tours, in two different versions depending on the starport. The version she can readily remember is the one where the first stopover is on Nar Shaddaa: Star Tours is proud to announce our very first exciting action-adventure tour. Start your visit with a trip to the nightclub district on Nar Shaddaa, where you will get exotic dances and entertainment with the most outrageous characters in the galaxy, and then race to the Circus Horrificus, with the most terrifying shows offered daily. The adventure continues on Tatooine, with a trip to the Galactic Zoo and the Mos Eisley Cantina, for cocktails found nowhere else in the galaxy, as well as a ride through the desert with the adorable Jawas. If you want a break from the daily grind, this is the tour for you: the Deluxe Action-Adventure Package! Reservations are limited, so call your travel agent or Star Tours today!

[member="Acaleus Thorn"] [member="Bexel] [member="Zarack Arkaos"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

Buying all the materials on Coruscant was a bit quick than he had imagine. The Sith didnt care about the marketing trades on their planets unless there were related to the Jedis. The trip didnt took very long, as the ship he was in, The Bowser was fast enough. He woke up from the bed and walk towards the main deck "Good morning Dunames" the assassin grabbed a metal chair and sat beside her yawning "Once this ship lands you might order the members of this ship to raise their weapons before they come out. Nar Shadda is a lawless land" said taking out a candy from his pocket.

The materials he was travelling with were Diatum, Tesh, Aluminium, Duraplast, Ciridium, etc. That was a start if he wanted a company that could have a large list of material for even faction orders. After ending the candy, he made a perfect throw in the trash can "Oh and dont worry, my people is already on the landing site, waiting for us" Acaleus stood up looking for a moment at the hair of Dunames and smiled "Do you always get your hair that messy when you wake up?"

[member='Dunames Lopez']

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"No. I just lost consciousness on the last flight that led me into Coruscant; I usually take better care of my hair than that" she responded to Acaleus. "Before we depart, do you want some caf?" she asked, while serving her cup of caf, in hopes that she will remain awake long enough to make a safe jump to hyperspace. She knew that, from Coruscant, neither Nar Shaddaa nor Tatooine could be reached with the Bowser without refueling. It therefore makes sense for it to be a refueling stop on Onderon along the way, but she may never know, perhaps some passengers would just disembark on Onderon without even proceeding to Nar Shaddaa, let alone Tatooine, because Dunames knew that no single regularly scheduled flight would be filled entirely with travelers on a package.

"Final boarding call for Star Tours flight 33 with service to Nar Shaddaa via Onderon" the public announcement system blared.

Luckily one of my staffers, who was on another bucket jumpseat next to mine, will be able to do the work I was originally here for: opening a tri-weekly Coruscant-Ringo Vinda service. Perhaps that could become a weekly service if the demand proves to be too high even with the 166-seat configuration of the Pullman-class light freighters she thought, knowing that a 166-seat Pullman would be all-economy. A little tight but with a lot better pricing than most.

"Don't worry, the security deposit you paid will be mostly refunded if the cargo arrives intact on Nar Shaddaa so that, in the end, you only pay for the standard cargo rate plus the risk premium." Let's say that Star Tours' mode of operating the Secret Courier service is a little peculiar and is more common for starship rental; most courier services that provide services similar to the Secret Courier service, that is, carry freight away from prying eyes, do not ask for a security deposit.

[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

"I would like some thank you" said taking his datapad and turning it on "Can you wait me some hours once we arrive to Onderon? I dont like staying in a ship for too long" said starting drawing the components of the new ship his company was going to produce. Even while travelling he didnt have time for a break and his company in Nar Shadda would receive every information. The reason why building the headquarters on a dangerous planet was the same reason why other mafias worked there or rich families had their mansions and work in that planet. Without a goberment, there would be no taxes and you would only have to hire some guards against small thiefs groups "Oh i almost forgot sorry" he raised his hand without moving his eyes from the screen of the data pad, force pulling his wallet out of his pocket "Here is a credit card with half the money i owe you for the trip. The rest is in Nar Shadda"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

As per Star Tours' standard operating procedures, the pilot-in-command of a flight was to receive the manifest of passengers and cargo, as well as the content of any cargo not covered by the Secret Courier, along with the destination of passengers, cargo as well as any special instructions for the cargo that necessitated the use of the Secret Courier service. in any given flight before the takeoff. She was handed hers as a data transmission to the datapad containing charts and approach plates, commonly known as a kneeboard in passenger piloting parlance.

"Don't worry about layover time: it takes time to unload the cargo to be delivered on Onderon, as well as the one hundred-odd passengers scheduled to deboard the ship at that location and take up a few passengers that also undertook the Deluxe Action-Adventure Package or otherwise had to travel to either Nar Shaddaa or Tatooine, as well as any cargo bound for either planet"

Hmmm, Acaleus is traveling in Pullman (i.e. first) class and paid half the total cost of the ticket plus the freight waybill. Star Tours would have the passengers pay the passenger component of their service in full by boarding time, even though no reservation fees were levied. This meant that Acaleus paid for his ticket in Pullman class but even that was dwarfing the actual cost of the freight waybill that he used Secret Courier for. The cost he was hoping to be ending up paying. She felt as Acaleus simply hoped that nothing would happen to the cargo that would require him to forfeit part or all the deposit, en route to Onderon or from there to Nar Shaddaa, as she boarded the Bowser filled to capacity in both passenger and cargo respects. As the 525th passenger got seated and the access hatches closed... she initiated takeoff sequence.

[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

Acaleus entered the Bowser without admiring the high of the ship. He had been on many space battles and nothing could impress him. Except the death of a friend or a close one. In this days he only got them counted around the galaxy "The problems when travelling are space pirates or even Sith in the look for a story to tell. Thats why im paying only half here and going to pay the other half when arriving..." Acaleus walk beside Dunames on the hallways of the Bowser

"...thats why im cautious when travelling from planet to planet. Excuse me if i offended you" said the assassin. In other moment, he would check the defense system of the ship, the mercenaries or members hired and passenger. But Dunames accepted his request into delivering his minerals from Coruscant, and so he wouldnt insult her in that way, trusting her the safety of the ship.

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

She knew it would be easier to hide mercenaries under the guise of regular passengers if the other passengers were simply looking for adventure. And she knew that many Coruscant residents that do not possess hyperspace-capable ships of their own may still want a dose of adventure and, of course, some of them are rather brash and are just waiting to see what this flight has in store as far as this flight's "selection of unique items" is concerned. Certainly some passengers expected to find dangerous merchandise such as neutron pixie canisters, thermal detonators, and blaster rifles. But the time wasn't quite there yet for them to browse this flight's selection of duty-free items. She must concede that she may also have an interest in some of the items in this flight's catalog, knowing that no two catalogs of duty-free items on Star Tours flights are entirely identical, due to some items being shuffled around from a flight to another, or the addition of new items. She is just getting into the captain's seat.

"Star Tours 33, cleared for takeoff, contact departure on frequency 406" the starport's control tower told Dunames, upon her arriving on the flight deck. At the same time, a pre-recorded safety announcement is playing in the passenger areas of the ship, recorded by Dunames herself. She set the communications array to frequency 406.

"Takeoff sequence initiated" she said.

As with similar ships, such as the Y-85, from which the Bowser-class is derived, the Bowser has somewhat slow acceleration, and has a wide turning radius, so wide, in fact, that it's almost as wide as that of ships up to five times longer. But the cityscape of Coruscant is shrinking before the passengers' eyes as they leave Coruscant's atmosphere...

[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

"Im going to my room. If something happen just communicate to me quick please" said the assassin and then, he leave. The number of things he could do on a cruiser was small. Maybe training or reading something. It was going to be a long trip. He remembered the years he spend on the space, fighting for his life everyday. There were no losing, as his life was on the line. Once he arrive to his room, he throw himself in his bed and sleep for the night. Venus, his pilot would be waiting him on Nar Shadda, taking care of the workshop "Should i still call her a pilot? She is a good friend and i trust her even something as important as a company" thought before sleeping.

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Dunames entered the coordinates of Onderon into the navicomputer, and set in a course that will take them to Onderon on the fuel reserve the Bowser had. Which, ostensibly, isn't much, since it was initially designed to carry AT-ATs from and to a planet independently of any capital ship. But adding fuel pods pose additional safety hazards, especially when flying around a planet like Nar Shaddaa, which was this flight's final destination. But now that they have entered hyperspace and begun cruising... she has an announcement to make on the ship's PA system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the in-flight duty-free catalog is now available on your personal vidscreens. To place an order, please use the touchscreen. A flight attendant will come and arrange payment as well as deliver your order"

To Dunames, selling stolen items as duty-free items was just one more way she could use Star Tours for criminal service. And, as on all Star Tours flights, the catalog's content is limited to what can actually be sold onboard. On this flight, items for sale included MR-73 assault rifles, neutron pixie canisters, stolen high fashion like Galmia Pepe shoes and robes, Brint dresses and night vision goggles, thermal detonators, and other items such as submachine guns, blaster pistols, and so on, so forth. Even organic crewmembers could purchase some of the items provided they have sufficient credits.

[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

Acaleus woke up hungry and in the need to walk. He exit his bedroom changing his pants and putting on some shirt as he only liked to sleep without one. He then walked towards the kitchen and ordered a Bantha Breakfast Biscuit and a coffee to the chef, then sat on a chair on the food court reading info of his company that was renewed everytime they passed through a planet. In a moment the chef brought his food and Acaleus just started eating everything he could. He wouldnt talk to anyone unknown on the ship unless he had too so the trip would be pretty boring from here on

[member='Dunames Lopez']

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Luckily Dunames could find what she wanted onboard this flight, all three items: she was always one to wear a Brint Set so she got the wine-red one, complete with gold trim, as well as some violet parts around her waist, which came with a white kama. On the other hand, she disliked what Galmia products were sold on this flight, since it was the color of sand and it would make her feel almost naked as she wore it. Nevertheless, she found satisfaction in a MR-73 sniper rifle, which is sold with a "pike" bayonet, as well as a taser pistol, which was useful to stun both droids and organics.

"That will run you 7,500 credits" Merrily, a WA-7 unit, told Dunames while the WA-7 duty-free droid approached the cockpit.

For 7,500 credits she could have obtained all three items at their legal price, more or less, since Brint Sets ran for about 5,000 credits on a legal market, even if the Brint Sets sold onboard were actually stolen, counterfeit items. Star Tours had a policy that, for all items sold as duty-free merchandise, it had to be sold at legal going rates if said items were available on a legal market, or legal items that filled a similar purpose if the item being sold was illegal on the open market. But the stock of items for sale shrank as the flight progressed, to the point there was almost nothing left while crossing only half the distance to Onderon.

[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

Of course the first thing he do was sense if there were any force users near by. It was easy to do for him after training. He couldnt imagine how was his life before knowing the things he knew right in this moment. Just when he check that the food court werent any force user, he proceed to leave "Alright lets see if i can get wasted or something" thought going to his room and changing his assassin clothes and leaving his weapons and armor behind, as he was his own weapon in a certain way. He expected that the bar would be open 24/7 so he wore a simple dark blue jean and a grey shirt with a funny logo on it "If we land in Onderon before i get my vodka i will get angry" thought before leaving his room.

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

The main question is: would Star Tours have any need for a ship larger than the Bowser-class? Would Star Tours' operations, legitimate or not, require anything larger than that? With Ringovinda StarYards, she knew she would be getting heavily armored ships, if sometimes lightly armed. 525 passengers could eat through a supply of duty-free items in about half the time a Bowser-class ship can fly for, and the supply brings in about 300k in profits, almost as much revenue as ticket sales for both segments of the flight. Of course, drugs, weapons, armor, counterfeit luxury items such as clothing, fashion accessories, made up the bulk of what's sold onboard, but there is also a few legitimate items being sold: liquor, stationery, destination-themed items. Dunames then made her announcement on the PA system:

"Attention all passengers, if you have any duty-free items that you ordered on this flight but ran out of stock during the flight, we will do our best to source them on the second leg of the flight to Nar Shaddaa. Please report any rain check to Merrily, the service droid responsible for the in-flight duty-free shop"

That might be a risky move, she thought. Some of the items may be available legally as a layover on Onderon, but others will undoubtedly be counterfeit, fenced or otherwise available only on the black market.

[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

Assassin and tactician. Acaleus knew everything about the art of the stealth and so he managed to enter the same room as Dunames. If he wasnt in battle or thinking something he would be bored. And Acaleus didnt liked the feeling of doing nothing. He just finished drinking and even that he founded in his standards as nonsense. He walked in front of her without making any sound and smiled "Are we there yet?" asked like a child. It was that bother someone or bet if he could steal any items without anyone to notice from the ship store just for fun.

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"We're almost there. We should arrive within half an hour or so. The entire stock of duty-free items on the ship is sold out, too, if that's what you were thinking"

On Onderon, she was to refuel. Plus on Onderon the lightsaber kit she just ordered for it to be put on sale on the next leg will be delivered to her. However, she kept in mind that Nar Shaddaa was a black hole of alcohol so she would like to bootleg as much alcohol into Nar Shaddaa as possible, while not interfering with the cargo she was to deliver to Nar Shaddaa in the first place. She knew Nar Shaddaa residents would pay through the nose for even mediocre mead or cider, let alone the fortified species of alcoholic beverages at 70% alcohol. She knew where a supplier of such alcoholic beverages would be on Onderon that also requested the usage of the Secret Courier service to deliver such dangerous alcoholic products, like fortified Jawa juice.

"Star Tours 33, you're cleared for landing, proceed to docking bay 66."

"For those among you who are continuing on to Nar Shaddaa, fortified Jawa juice, tihaar, cognac, and other potent alcoholic beverages will be sold on the next leg. You probably know by now that alcohol is a central part of Nar Shadian culture. As a bonus, a LIGHTSABER will be up for sale, orange-bladed with a black core."

The passengers, ecstatic, couldn't pass up a chance to own such an exotic item, even though the hilt wasn't anything out of the ordinary. For lightsaber would-be buyers, the hilt was only part of the game; even a special blade color scheme with an otherwise common hilt could command higher prices, easily twice as much as for an ordinary lightsaber; common colors were blue, green or red. But orange with a black core would drive up like the dickens.

[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

"Awww alright" Acaleus leave to the hangar bay. Now that he was on Onderon, he could order some weapon schemes. The planet was based on weapon and high technology sales. He wanted a few for his company, ships or even list of materials needed for producing engines. Every little thing matter. He walked a few blocks away from the docks, knowing that they would be charging fuel for the ship. If he was on the right, his contact would be waiting for him in a local bar.

Once he entered, bussiness was on. Of course he asked for the bartender to serve him a vodka. It was a strong drinks but Acaleus was a strong man. The contact entered the restaurant, a female Twi´lek wearing a rich outfit "Tell me how much for information" nothing of salutes. Thats how he like it "Ten thousand c" responded the assassin "The company you should team up is mandalorian. Also you need to get some weapon engineers from Kamino if you want to mass produce weapons" "Send messengers and tell them to travel to Nar Shadda, Enryu Corp company"

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Onderon was a place where tihaar, fortified Jawa juice were not as common as cognac was. But, knowing that their destination, Nar Shaddaa, was a black hole of alcohol well-known to be a make-or-break market for alcohol producers, delivering (or bootlegging) alcohol in there would not pose a problem. Some would-be cognac producers are using this Star Tours flight to ship their first shipment to the moon as a must-seize opportunity to "go big or go home", knowing that the population of Onderon, while growing thanks to the inflow of refugees from Sith space, puts a straitjacket on their market growth. Of that 100 bottles of cognac will be kept in storage onboard. The deliveryman of one of those cognac producers arrives to the gate where the Bowser is parked; that a skiff full of cognac crates has one organic representative and three labor droids to haul the 280 crates filled with Nar Shaddaa-standard cognac bottles (1.75 liters apiece, six such bottles are in a crate) onboard the Bowser.

"Thank you for your business, Star Tours; I'll hope that these crates of cognac will arrive in due course"

"I know Nar Shaddaa all too well; they are a very demanding alcohol market. They demand the best and the strongest"

Beggars can't be choosers, all right, but on any flight to Nar Shaddaa these days from just about anywhere in the galaxy, alcohol would be virtually ubiquitous. And a chain of alcohol deliverymen filled what space was left in the cargo hold to the brim. As a result, about sixty thousand Nar Shaddaa-standard bottles were boarding the Bowser when no one else was looking. But alcohol was perfectly legal on Nar Shaddaa, and there was no need to bootleg it in any shape or form.

[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

Acaleus returned to the Bowser at the four hours he was out. Enough time for passangers to get out or new ones to go in the ship. Some planets showed him different scenarios. One with full deserts, others with forest and lakes or full cities. The image of a big ship like the one owned by Dunames didnt help the fact that Acaleus couldnt get used to it. Even with all the places he knew so far. Once he was in, the assassin check out his cargo, it took him fifteen minutes, but all of the crates were in a good state, even with the travel and descend to Onderon "Dunames, we are good to go" said thinking in what kind of weapons, armors or ships he could create. It was time to start making money off the company,.

[member="Dunames Lopez"]

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Rumor is it that soon, the stopover on Onderon would be eliminated from the Coruscant service to Nar Shaddaa; that stopover was necessary only because of the short range of the Bowser. The Tofolk-class would not only cram 4,000 passengers, it could do so and go to Nar Shaddaa nonstop. Without a doubt the new passengers looking to board that flight are One Sith refugees seeking a better life and are not there because they seek the thrills offered on the Deluxe Action-Adventure Package. Once back in the cockpit, after Merrily repeats an old safety announcement Aly San San recorded centuries ago...

"Attention all passengers, today's flight will feature an auction of a lightsaber with an orange blade and a black core! This is your chance to lay your hands on a collector's edition of a rare, exotic weapon!"

But as the Bowser leaves the atmosphere of Onderon, a band of non-Force-sensitive pirates are closing in on the Bowser. Not quite like One Sith fighter craft or shuttlecraft but they seem to be flying an old, antiquated Gthroc Model 8675 closing onto their position, weapons hot. Pirates that must be after the cargo being smuggled onboard.

"All crew, battle stations! All passengers, keep your safety belts fastened until the alert"

[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

Just as he was going to enter his bedroom, he saw mercenaries and passengers running through the hallways. Some scared, and the ones with the blasters had a face of emotion for being their first battle "If they survive, they will never be the same" thought Acaleus watching them go. Other veterans mercenaries were serious about the trouble that was coming and obey every order given. He knew how well was the weaponry of Bowser, but sometimes that wasnt enough. During a fight, the enemy could hit a room full of your comrades, and it was moving or join them in dead.

Acaleus entered the cockpit Dunames were "Need help? I know how to treat with pirates..." said while remembering that he only got his wrist lightsaber and a submachine gun "Oh and can i borrow some blaster guns? And a dozen of your mercenaries if the pirates manage to enter the Bowser" In the radar, he could watch how their were getting closer and closer. The ship was old, but pirates have a tendency to repair or upgrade old ships. This maybe had two shield systems and enough weaponry to be crazy enough to engage a cruiser. "If the pirates manage? They will, but im a trained assassin and a force user" thought the ex commander of the Techno Union.

[member="Dunames Lopez"]