Eclipse - SWTOR fan fic

  The old freighter shuddered as it lurched out of hyperspace with a long metal groan. The ship seemed to handle space travel like a grumpy old horse that had lost its love for open fields. Anyone else would probably be scared senseless to fly in such a rig but Tanis Brand had repaired, refurbished, and rebuilt nearly every part of her. There wasn't a single bolt or cable in the entire ship he didn't know and that made him feel safe. Back when he bought the old NT 1160 light freighter, it was a hulking relic barely capable of planetary travel. Once Tanis finally had her space worthy  he registered her as the Urtos named after a clumsy looking, ill tempered, and flightless bird native to his home world. The name suited his sense of humour and reminded him of the hard work he put into getting the ship back into space.

The planet Rygus Prime filled the main view port in vibrant swirls of orange, red and pale yellow as the freighter approached it‘s fifth moon. Rygus V was the largest of five moons orbiting the massive gas giant, Rygus Prime. The moon fought with the planets gravity to maintain it’s own weak atmosphere which caused frequent and unpredictable storms. But despite hostile conditions and rugged terrain, the moon had been settled by miners and generations later Rygus V was now a full city with it’s own space port. Rygus - like many other outer rim worlds, was swallowed up when the Empire made their initial surge toward the galactic core. Imperial occupation had actually made the system a lot safer and improved conditions for trade. It’s position in the outer rim and the efficiency of the Imperial military had turned Rygus into an Imperial planet almost over night.

Tanis sat forward and rested his arms heavily on the edge of the control console. As he stared out the main view port at the turbulent surface of Rygus Prime he wondered how many other planets shared its fate. There were few free-lancers working in the sector and even fewer in a patch-work freighter like his. Imperial trade licences, over taxation, and corrupt customs agents cut deeply into his profits but pirates had to be insane to go fishing in Imperial waters so he felt that balanced things out. Picking up a com signal from the Rygus V spaceport, he keyed in.

"This is Captain Brand of the Urtoss requesting..." Before he could finish a young mans voice came over the com cutting him off.
"Urtoss, we have you on our sensors. State your cargo and destination."

The mans voice was mono-tone and without pause. For a moment, Tanis wondered if the Empire used cyborgs or clones as com-officers. His gaze drifted across the cockpit as he pondered the unlikely scenario until his eyes fixed on T4X1, his astromech droid. The little droid chirped and beeped as the young captain snapped back into the moment. Turning back to the control console he checked the data pad with the shipping manifest and responded.

"Engineering supplies for the Turmo trade commission."

The Captains eyes shifted from the data pad to a small screen of text above the main console. He had rigged the screen to T4 and saw that it repeated the details on the manifest. Tanis grinned and shot a sideways glance at the droid docked at the navigation terminal. To smart for your own good, he thought to himself. He had won the droid years ago in a game of pazak and even back then it seemed to have a mind all it's own. Although he wouldn't admit it, T4 had become more of a traveling companion than a simple machine and the droid certainly acted the part. Enjoying the droids quirky AI, Tanis refused to wipe it’s memory. But in order to keep his little companion from becoming a liability he kept the droid safely unaware of his more questionable charters.
.
"Urtoss, landing clearance will be authorised after we have confirmation of your code transmission."

Having run through the same security protocols every time he returned to Rygus V, Tanis could almost follow the com officers response verbatim, as if both men were reading from a script. Such strict mechanical efficiency was a bit unnerving when it came from a living person and he tried not to think about it. He had T4X1 transmit the code and a moment later the Urtoss was cleared for landing. Pulling himself up out of his chair, he shuffled past the astromech and stopped in the doorway of the cockpit.

"Alright T4, get us lined up for the ride in. I'm gona double check the hold and make sure everything is secure."

Tanis strode through the ships cylindrical corridors to the stair well leading down into the main cargo hold where a chill swept over him that made the young captain pause. The Grand Moff and his army that controlled this sector were unnerving realities, but far worse were the Sith. Having only heard wild stories, Tanis didn't trust the force or those who used it. Even the Jedi with their unnatural calm and mysticism put him on edge. He stared down the stairwell as the question crept into his thoughts, why take this job-why accept the risk? Swallowing his uncertainty, Tanis made his way down the steps into the cargo hold trying to focus on the task at hand. Leaving the lights turned off he took a few steps into the large room and spoke into the darkness.

"The compartment I prepared for you is ray shielded.. Don't know any hardware that'll find you in
There.” The words felt heavy but he did his best to maintain a confident tone. “We'll be on the ground shortly so you should get yourself stowed away." Turning back toward the stairs he added,
"I hope you understand.. After we’re past customs, you're on your own."


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