44 Chapter

Clear Skies slowly touches down, kicking up a cloud as the thrusters drive the dust and sand away.

I make my way to the cargo ramp as Mekak keys it open to reveal the dusty landing pad in the Mos Eisley spaceport, the heat hitting me like a wall and making me ruffle my feathers.

It's been a little over two years since the week of training in the Jedi temple and things have been going smoothly. My skill in the force has increased and profit has been rolling in.

The Traveller Corporation -main HQ residing on Corellia- owns just under thirty light freighters, four bulk haulers and Clear Skies.

Most shipping corporations work by central command handing out jobs to the freighters and they just do pickups and deliveries. Mine works a bit differently.

All freighters work independently on acquiring jobs and any legal jobs they find they can take. If they can't take it for reasons other than illegality then they send the info back to HQ, who once each day sends a job list out to all freighters who then can pick from the list or find other work themselves.

Their profits still go to the corporation and they get a flat salary on a level with other companies but the extra level of freedom for the captains makes the job quite attractive. The crew on each ship also gets a bonus at the end of each year depending on how well the ship in question did.

Even if they don't make any more money and even with the time the ships need to sit and wait for their captain to find a job... because it allows them to actually get on with their jobs instead of having HQ trying to micromanage things.

Some of them even have contracts to move for specific companies.

I slowly step out into the dust and look around, sighing as Padme Honor steps up beside me and shakes her head "Well, this is a complete hellhole." she says and I shake my head.

"Well, it is a mining planet. What exactly did you expect?" I ask and glance down at her as an oval drone, the size of my head and covered in a nice purple and dark blue pattern float up to me from inside the hold.

"Khan, the port authorities are reporting that the unloading of our cargo will be delayed due to equipment damage from the last sandstorm. They estimate approximately ten hours before unloading can begin."

I shake my head "Well, shouldn't slow us down any. We did plan to stay for a couple of days anyway to let the passengers stretch their legs. They DID want to see adventurous parts of the galaxy. Thanks, AD."

The drone bob in the air "Miss Icri is giving them the safety lecture and handing out the emergency transmitters now." it says and I nod before making my way over the landing pad as I answer it.

"Just make sure SHE makes sure everyone actually takes them with them this time."

Padme chuckle and hurries up a bit to keep up with me "Well, they didn't really have a legal leg to stand on for getting lost in that swamp you know..." and I shake my head before answering her.

"I rather not lose three days waiting for some fool to be found again." and I glance up at the two suns while keying a control strapped to my left wrist and a couple of smaller drones, egg-shaped ones about half the size of my head detach from the ceiling in the ship to fly up and hover a couple of meters above me.

Padme raises an eyebrow and glances up at them and then at me "Expecting trouble, skipper?" she asks and I snort

"Always. But in this case, it's just a precaution. We are in Hutt space and this place isn't exactly the most policed place in the galaxy. I already told AD to instruct all crew members to keep a security drone with them when they leave the ship."

She nods "Makes sense I guess" and then shrugs "Either way, I need to find a holo crystal compatible with a GH-321 game table somewhere. The one in the passenger common room is on the fritz." She makes her way down the dusty street and I motion for one of the drones to follow her and it quickly does.

I stop on the main street and look around. The place is a bit more... structured than I remember from the movies. But then again, it's still a mining colony with only a few moisture farmers. There is talk of the corporation considering closing down the operations in less than twenty years, however...

Moving to the side I step out of the way for one of the ugliest beasts I have seen so far, a Bantha, before I keep observing.

This is the birthplace of one of the deadliest creatures in the galaxy...or rather, it will be in the future.

Darth Vader, the Murderer of Jedi.

Honestly, I expected to end up here much earlier than this, but I guess Luke really had it right when he said that it was the place furthest from the shining core of the galaxy.

I sigh and shake my head, making my way down the street in the search for the main company office, Corellia Mining Corporation, the same company that hired us to carry machine parts here might have a job to carry something out of here even if most of the metal they mine is hauled on bulk freighters.

I kick up some dust and then study my feet for a moment, at the very least it should be easy enough to take a proper sand bath in this place.

Water is all well and good to get clean with, but it makes my feathers soggy for days...or so it feels anyway.