Star Wars: Hidden In The Shadows of the Empire

Hidden In The Shadows of the Empire

"Whoa! Watch it, Leebo!" Eaden Vrill, the green-skinned Nautolan, yelled, falling in the co-pilot's chair. "You scrape the haul again, and the boss will sell you for scrap."

Despite his weathered appearance, which hinted at numerous repairs and adventures, LE-BO2D9 was a remarkable pilot – especially for a droid. He skillfully maneuvered the modified Corellian YT-2400 cargo freighter through Coruscant's bustling transportation lanes, deftly avoiding airspeeders, transports, and shuttles.

"Master Eaden, did you know for thousands of years, Coruscant has been the glimmering capital of the Republic and now the Empire? This magnificent city-planet extends across the horizon, with a breathtaking view of never-ending buildings of durasteel and ferrocrete. Like the rest of the planet, Coruscant City has built upon itself until the only remnant of its original surface is the very tip of Mount Umate, which can be viewed from Monument Plaza. Now buried beneath Coruscant are levels upon levels that are home to a wretched hive of scum and villainy."

"Did you read that from the welcoming brochure," Eaden said, strapping himself in, "Le, the sublevel entrance is coming up. We need to descend now."

Leebo, a weathered blue and silver-plated Cybot Galactica LE-series repair droid, pushes the YT-2400's flight controls forward, causing the freighter's nose to dip straight into a vertical descent. The droid weaves them through the many levels of congested air traffic above the lower city as it approaches Coruscant Sublevel Access Terminal 24– one of the massive ventilation shafts that dotted the urban landscape. The ventral access conduits connecting the surface to the many under-levels were so enormous they could easily accommodate a Corellian Corvette Blockade Runner and a Victory Class Star Destroyer nose to nose without scraping the walls.

"State your purpose and transmit your transponder code," the Imperial transportation officer demanded over the crackling comm.

"Well, this is new," Eaden remarked as his large black eyes focused on the swarm of Tie Fighters circling the sublevel access conduit. "When was the last time we were here?"

Leebo turned its photoreceptors toward Eaden and spoke in a distinctive mechanical tone, "It has been seven cycles and 578 rotations." The droid flipped the switch, sending a fake transponder signal and registration chaincode to the Imperial Coruscant Security Force. "I have a bad feeling..."

"No! Don't even finish that sentence, rust bucket. This is going to work," Eaden said with a chuckle. "Just in case, you better wake the boss, Leebo."

LE-BO2D9 got up from the pilot's seat, accidentally hitting the yoke, causing the light freighter to jerk to the left, nearly colliding with the control tower. Eaden shook his head as the overpriced droid hurried to the crew quarters.

"Well, that will get him up."

"YT-2400, you are cleared for travel to level 1313. Once you reach your destination, you must register your chaincode with the Imperial Underworld Magistrate upon docking. If you do not comply or deviate from your destination, your vessel will be confiscated, and you and your crew will be taken into custody and sentenced to imprisonment. Thank you. Have a nice day."

"Well, this is going to be fun," Eaden smiled as he maneuvered the YT into the maw of the access terminal.

The YT-2400 is a small cargo ship made by the Corellian Engineering Corporation as part of their YT-series starships. It has a round hull connected to a tube-shaped cockpit attached by two bracing arms. It might not be as fast as the 1300 light freighter, but it's smaller and can outmaneuver any other ship in its class.

"So, what's this Le says about chaincodes?" Standing just inside the cockpit hatch was a tall, lean man with red hair, green eyes, and pale skin. His arms folded over his silver breastplate armor.