"Captain Atreus, we need to change our destination. I just received a transmission from a contact. The ship we are following landed on Nar Shaddaa, not Nal Hutta." Qui-Gon Jinn said after being escorted to the bridge by Icri.
I gave him a nod. "Very well, not a large course change. We can just as easily land on the moon instead of the planet. Do you have a specific landing pad in mind?" I asked and he nodded, handing over a PAD.
I handed it over to Samantha who turned it over to Cormac at the helm before I frowned down at the young Jedi. "Just because your master is confined to quarters, does not mean you where are, youngling. There is an hour until we land."
He nodded. "I understand, Captain, but we used the time for much-needed training. Out in the field, we get little time for meditative exercises."
I snorted and returned the PAD after Cormac tossed it back.
"Very well. Do you believe you will need a means of transportation back?" I asked and he shook his head.
"My Master does not think so, Captain. We should be able to find conventional transportation from here if needed. If the Force is with us, we will be able to finish our mission on Nar Shaddaa." Jinn turned and left.
An hour later, I met Dooku and Jinn by the boarding ramp after landing Clear Skies at a platform near the equator of the City Moon.
"Your lightsabers," I said and handed them over. "You never told me... What exactly is your mission, Jedi Dooku?"
He frowned and shook his head. "Jedi Business."
Dooku turned to walk down the ramp while Jinn shrugged and followed him.
Sighing, I shook my head and then I glanced back at my XO as she joined me by the ramp. "Let's take a week off. No passengers, no cargo to worry about. I'll need a few days to hunt down some cargo anyway and we are overdue for a vacation. Everyone has seven days' leave."
She nodded and smiled. "Sounds good to me, I know I feel like I need it. Considering the location though... SecDrones?���
I thought it over for a moment before I nodded. "Yes, I think so. One each."
I turned to make my way to my quarters. By the time I got back to the ramp, everyone but Sarah, my chief engineer, was already gone. She had two drones floating next to her.
"Captain, while we're here, I would want to see if I can find a new compression coil for the starboard engine. While the one we have is still working, it's on its last legs." She said and I gave her a nod.
"Go for it. I would prefer not to blow an engine during take-off."
She nodded as we left the ship before I used my remote to retract the ramp. "Exactly what I was thinking. While not exactly lethal on a ship with multiple engines, it could cause secondary damage."
As we reached the exit of the landing platform, we separated and I headed into the city while looking around, leaving the remaining security drones and the administrator drone to guard the ship.
This place was like...a mix of Coruscuant and Mos Eisley. Structures like Coruscuant but with the same aura of lawlessness as Mos Eisley.
I glanced up at the drone. "Keep an eye out."
It bobbed in the air as it responds. "Affirmative, Khan."
I entered a reputable-looking cantina and had a look around before making my way over to lay down on a platform covered in pillows usually only used by Hutts. A serving droid floated over to take my order and I ordered a fruit drink while having a look around.
For a cantina on a Hutt moon, it was not that bad. Sure, it had the normal amount of rough looking people, humans, wookiees, rodians and a multitude of other species, but the air wasn't as full of smoke and the place had live Twi'lek dancers instead of holograms. Rather good looking ones as well to my human sensibilities.
For once, there would be no meditation exercises, nor any crawling through caves for crystals. This time I would simply relax and find us new cargo. No use to look for passengers in this place.
A Hutt slowly slid inside with multiple guards walking alongside him. It blinked when it spotted me before chuckling and moving to the platform next to mine. He chuckled, "You are in my usual spot, bird."
I turned my head to eye him. "Am I? Are you demanding I move?"
He chuckled, "No, no. My ego is not quite that small, Bird. I am Galuga."
I eyed the slightly green Hutt. It was bigger than me but slightly smaller than Jabba in the movie.
"Atreus. May I offer you a drink? I did, after all, take your seat."
He chuckled before nodding and I motioned to a serving droid.
"You have enough guards... I assume you are important around these parts?" I asked him and he licked his fat lips and ordered a drink from the droid.
"I own this and several other blocks on this moon. Nothing happens here without my permission."
I gave him a nod. "Important, then. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
He watched me for a moment. "Never seen a droid like that before, nor anyone of your species."
I hummed softly and lapped at my drink. "I am a member of the Morrigi species and the droid is of my own making."
The Hutt nodded and emptied his glass, waving the droid over for another one.
"So what is it you do, Atreus?" He asked and I shrugged my wings.
"I own a small cargo company. Only a few ships, nothing major." I answered and he chuckled.
"Good, Good. Interested in cargo? I need cargo moved." He said and I shook my head.
"Not really, not for several reasons. First of all, Hutt cargo attracts attention I don't want in the Republic. Second of all, the only ship I have in the sector is a passenger transport. Third, I am on vacation. I had no intention of working."
He looked at me for a moment. "Most people would have said yes from fear if nothing else."
I raised my head feathers. "There is nothing you can do to threaten me, Galuga. You are powerful, yes, but power is not everything."
I motioned to my drone hovering above me and it opened its weapon port to reveal the blaster muzzle.
Galuga looks up at it and then chuckled, taking another drink. "I like you, Atreus. You got slime!"
We spent the rest of the night talking. Mostly about ships.
Turned out, Galuga is a collector of starfighters. He can't fly any of them as he was too big, but he collected them like others collected stamps.
The next day, I exited the hotel I rented a room at. It took some doing but I ACTUALLY managed to find one that offered dust baths!
I flexed my wings, shaking some residue sand off before I started to make my way to an open-air market place to see if I could not actually dig up some Omrag fruit of sufficient quality to call breakfast.
"Captain!" Someone called out and I looked over before spreading my head feathers happily.
"Commander. Didn't expect to see you so soon." I said as I stopped to wait for her.
"Heading over to the market to track some food. Took a hotel room close to the ship... I assume you did the same?" She said with a shrug and I nodded.
"Indeed. Same here." I gave her a sideways look as we made our way down the path in the crowd of people. "You wouldn't happen to have seen Jack, did you?"
She went a bit still and I forced myself not to trill in amusement as she glanced up at me. "No, why would I?"
I shrugged my wings. "Oh, no reason. Just wanted to discuss the possibility about upgrading the ships holo-transmitter to be able to handle long-range real-time comms."
Samantha shrugged and started to walk a bit faster as I followed her. "Well, I wouldn't know. I haven't seen him."
Those two were so fun to tease.
We made our way to the market and I yawned slightly, looking around as she haggled with a salesman about the price of some... I'm not sure what they are, some kind of lizard stew in a box.
As I do, I glanced in the direction of the landing pad and I saw a familiar sight.
"Commander." I said calmly. "Would you have any idea what my gorram ship is doing in the air?"
While I reached for my communicator, she spun around to join me looking at a very familiar Purple and Blue Star shuttle accelerating away.
"Clear Skies, respond at once!" I transmitted and there was no answer so I tried again, this time trying to get through to the security drones still on the ship. "CSSD, respond!"
There was no answer and we saw Clear Skies accelerate higher and higher until it was a dot in the sky... getting closer and closer to another dot.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the dots were gone.
Somebody just rammed Clear Skies into another ship.
We just stood and watched as debris starts to fall and emergency tractor beams activated on the rooftops, catching anything big enough to damage the moon wide city below.
"My ship..." I said softly, feeling slightly numb.