The Fabled Smuggler Part 1

 The Fabled Smuggler: Part 1

The Factory world of Falcriff was once a terrestrial world, with lush green meadows and grass lands and vast blue oceans, but it has long since become a factory world, at the core of United Systems space. It is also a wellspring of the galaxies criminal underworld, due to the trade and value of information that ships into its ports. It has made its self the home of not only the glorious ship yards of U.S.F but also a great place for smugglers to hide and trade information,  as well as a place for odd jobs to be done to aid both sides of the great galactic conflict between the Empire and the U.S. The undercity of Falcriff was a bustling place where these very seedy characters dwell unlike the hives on Idion in the outer reaches of space Falcriff’s streets were actually almost always full of odd characters looking for work or to make a quick buck. Spice dealers infesting the streets as small time crime lords fought against Criminal syndicates for control of territories.

The lower city was industrial as it had pipes that ran along walls containing electrical wiring that supplied power as well as sewage drainage from the upper levels and fresh water from the water treatment plants, that was sanitary enough to drink but no elitist would be caught dead drinking. The grounds of the lower city were metallic but covered in muck and dust. A market of stalls where punkish cyborgs and aliens sold their wares and food stuffs to the poorest of people as child thieves would steal and be chased by the droid police force that regularly patrolled it. The lower levels Space Port and docks were a breeding ground of supply ships delivering illegal goods disguised as legal goods bribing customs agents and teamsters to allow their goods to pass into the levels, making these docks the most corrupt in the system. At the end of the docks was small diner, its neon lit hologram sign missing letters, as it has fallen into disrepair. The diner was owned by Jumbas,a Ballese with a bad attitude. His diner uniform was that of cook but it was stained with sweat and other such ingredients from his cooking in the kitchens. The diner was full of irreputable figures and very rarely visited by the local police making it the perfect place to lay low while in the system. The Haven Diner was written on all the menus and it compiled cuisines from across the galaxy from Dilkin Cakes to Guai’n Steaks to Junabury berry pies, the specialty of the owner Jumbas as it was a Ballese delicacy. 

The doors slid open into the diner and a supply droid pulled an order of crates order by Jumbas into the diner. “LC-11 the orders here!” shouts Jumbas signaling his waitress droid that acted as his assistant manager to the front of house to take inventory. A human male in a thick brown trech coat with a matching brown cargo vest underneath it with a beige linen shirt enters the diner. His cargo pants tucked into his thick Wori Hide Boots with ammunition and rocket boosters equipped to them. On his hands were bracers that controlled the boosterrs on his boots and gave him capabilities that were unknown to the clientel. Atop his untidy brown hair and scruffy stubbled face sat a long rimmed hat with armored protection around the top. A tooth pick stuck out of his mouth as he entered, himself twisting it around playfully between his lips. His belt was attached to his bandolier that contained more ammunition for the two blasters that sat in holsters at his sides beneath his belt at thigh length. “Thats the last time i do a delivery for you Jumbas, its costing me to much to travel to neutral space just to pick up your fresh Squakia” states the man. “Come on Kelso, we’re practically family, you know i’m good for it, and you always get paid the exact rate i offer” states Jumbas, negotiating with the gunslinger. Kelso approaches the diner bar as the droids go into the back room. Jumbas approaches him. “Wheres my payment?” asks Kelso. “Second i have a manifest and exact scan of what was delivered you’ll have your fee, i assure you” states Jumbas. Kelso awaits his delivery droid and the waitress droid in the back room, in moments they return. The waitress hands jumbas a large tablet and he skims it with his four eyes. “Looks like the order is all here” states Jumbas opening up the register and counting physical credits before  placing them in a doggy bag handing them to Kelso. “There you go 300,000 just as requested. Should be more than enough to pay for you for both your fuel and services” states Jumbas. Kelso looks at the credits places the bag into one of his rather large cargo pant pockets. He nods to Jumbas and proceeds out the door of the diner back towards the docks. 

Several rather large cargo freighter vessels were docked and magnetically locked to the side as Kelso and his droid companion walked slowly past the docks and cargo containment units towards his ship. They soon reached the port where a smaller light cargo freighter- known as a Z Series Z-1000 Nubalin Light Freighter, but Kelso gave her a different name: The Platine Klark, a name which described the ship perfectly as Platine was a rather pristine metal in the outer rim and Klark was flying beast known to carry large loads Native to the Umanin System. He approached his freighter slowly its roughly faded paint exterior looking junky as to avoid suspicion of wealth, and in his line of work it was good thing to have faded paint. The ship had a central cockpit and three main thrusters and ten smaller thrusters that were built to enhance the ships performance. Its top was covered in open panels with exposed machinery aswell as a long range satellite dish and a concealed turret, that could be used to cover all sides of the ship. The ships belly had three landing gear on hydraulics that held it up on stilts above the bay as well as central loading ramp that lead into the ships cargo bay which was capable of holding more than two dozen small crates, six medium crates or two large crates inside. The front of the ship concealed the ships main guns as well as a cargo attachment dock that could be retrofitted to fit a luxury sized escape ship. In this section two smalled hidden turrets existed that could extend from the ships belly and fire on unsuspecting targets as well as sensor arrays, that aided in calculating distance and navigate during escapes through asteroid fields or comet storms. The ship also contained a few small secret upgrades that were modifications made to it by Kelso.

As they approached his ship they are approached by a customs officer who has apparently just finished running a diagnostic scan of the ship. “Alright looks like your Engines are fine, but your hyperdrive is over exhausted, i’d recommend giving it a rest or removing the compressor that you have on it, to prevent further stressing” states the officer. “What about the weapons and shields?” asks Kelso. “Shields are fully recharged as requested and weapons appear to be in need of some light oiling, but other than that fully operational” states the officer. Kelso looks at his ship and inspects it. “ how much would  a secondary hyperdrive cost?” asks Kelso. “For you Kelso, Another GX Series Hyperdrive, i’d charge you around 200,000, before installation which i’d charge another 5,000 for” states the officer. “What if i upgraded?” asks Kelso. “ A G-Y series on this freighter, i’d charge you about the same give or take 50,000” responds the officer. “Here is 300 do the work and i’ll toss in another fifty for a refuel to get me to Idion” requests Kelso handing him the doggy bag of credits.“I’ll have my mechanics get to work on it immediately, you should be set to leave within the hour” states The officer. Kelso walks up the ramp into the Cargo Hold, and into his ship followed by his droid.

The ships interior was not as it appeared on the outside, it was quite luxurious and clean, well preserved. It had a recreational room equipped with unscratched unstained leather seats surrounding a hologram gaming table, as well as a holo-web projector that provided entertainment to kelso on his long journeys. As well as a small medical bed and medical equipment, which sat next to his armory closet. At the opposite side of the rec room sat an emergency control station where Kelo or his droid could operate the ship if they were unable to enter the cockpit. A rounded accessway lead down a curved and rounded hall that went between the shield generator and weapons systems control room from the rec room and passengers quarters and into the cockpit where there were multiple seats and two steering wheels that were available that had been given an attachment to be controlled by a singular pilot or by a droids computer spike if needed. Hundreds of levers, buttons and switches lined the cockpits dashboard, each having its own purpose to help steer the ship. At the back of the freighter just above the cargo hold was the ships engineering bay where Kelso’s droid would recharge and repair systems, but room for multiple droids was available there. Accessways and elevator hatches that lead to the roof of the ship also ran from here in the even that a deep space repair needed to be made. To the left of the engineering room was the  accessway into the engine cooling center and on the opposite side sat a passenger quarters that was mirrored with Kelso’s private quarters on the opposite side of the vessel. Where Kelso spent alot of his time with his personal armory while he relied on his droid companion to pilot the ship.

He walked through the cargo hold making a left and in through the pressurized door into the rec room and took a seat on the couch in front of the holograming table, the droid buzzed and beeped excitedly. “So you want a rematch huh, C0-D?” he laughs. The droid beeps in an affirmative and extends a tool from the canister that comprised its body plugging into the gaming table. Kelso laughed and allowed the droid to select the game they intended to play. The two played a quick game of Socurn, and round chess style game using a variety of creatures that move in positions and icons that acted as traps against the opposing players pieces. Kelso started out the game rough but soon beat his rather competitive droid. The droid beeped at him in a competitive manner “ yeah, like you let me win C0-D.” C0-D rolled away from the table in anger. “ while your at check on the Mechanics who are installing the new secondary hyperdrive. The droid beeped twice in a rude manner. “Language” shouts Kelso leaving the Rec room for the Cockpit that was just down the hall. As he passed through the communications center he noticed a blue light beeping on the holographic communication table that sat at the center of this room. He tapped the button causing it to turn blue as the image of a man in a military uniform appeared on the screen. “Come in, Adrian Kelso, Kelso do you copy?” asks the image as it sputters onto the screen. “You reached Kelso, who is this?” asks the smuggler, unsure who the man is. “My name is Brando Carlile, i was told by a mutual ally of ours Alina Cardei that if i was ever in trouble you would be the man to contact” states the man. “Alina, haven’t heard her name in a while, whats the situation?” asks Kelso. “ I am aboard the Star Liner Veshnik enroute between the Farcova system and the Gophen system enroute to my final destination of Moshni where i will rendezvous with the United Systems, i have encountered some trouble however, i am being watched by whom i believe is an imperial assassin, who has escaped after me, i am in desperate need of a pick up from Gophen in two days time when i arrive there. The Security Team aboard the Star liner reluctantly has been adressing my complaint and allowed me a security detail, but i am requiring assistance transporting me from Gophen to Moshni” expresses the frightened Brando. “How much will you pay me?” asks Kelso. “Ah yes the fee, i can offer 2,000,000 imperial drex for safe passage to Alliance space, as long as i am protected with urgency” states Brando. Kelso is impressed, 2 million Imperial Drex was worth 10 million Credits when transferred through the banks on Coban with that amount of funds he could live comfortably for a year or two on the beaches of Paradine. “I am currently on Falcriff obtaining some minor repairs and upgrades to my ship, but the second im fueled i’ll make a heading for Gophen, where i’ll await your arrival. “Praise you, Captain Kelso, Praise you” states Brando. “Don’t thank me yet, just remember my money” states Kelso. The transmission end.

Just as promised within an hour the upgraded secondary hyperdrive was installed aboard the Plantine Kark. Kelso moved Quick to pay the Dock Officer and immediately prepped for launch leaving behind Falcriff. He steered through the air lanes towards the upper city and then out of the darkness and into the brightness of Falcriff. He piloted the ship into air lane and proceeded pas the orbital Space Station ring that orbited the planet, as he cleared the system’s gravity well,C0-D prepped the Navigational computer as he engaged his new hyperdrive and lauched. As soon as they did he asked the droid to keep an eye on things and proceeded back into the recreation room awaiting his arrival on Gophen.