"Brave New World"
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Trac Looa (NPC)
Location: Coruscant / Quilove Grand Palace
Date: TBA
Nyja and Melina had been on Coruscant hiding out and
hoping that no one there would recognize them from
their recent appearance on Wanted posters.
Melina was in the cockpit when a small beep sounded.
Melina stirred in her seat, but did not wake up right
away. The tone seemed to get louder and Melina woke
with a start. Melina paused to wake fully before
realizing there was a communication coming in.
Pressing the “Audio Only” button, she poised herself
for the conversation.
“Yes?” she replied.
“We know who you are,” the voice responded back.
The statement confused Melina. She didn’t respond,
but waited for the voice again.
“We have answers that you are looking for.”
“Who is this?” Melina said, starting to get agitated.
“Come to Quilove.”
“Where? I don’t know where that is!”
“Look it up. When you find it, you will find us and
yourself . . . Melina.”
The connection fizzled and faded away. Melina sat for
a moment, boggled at the voice and what he had said.
She decided to contact Nyja, who was out retrieving
fresh supplies and freight for delivery.
“Nyja,” Melina called into the transmitter.
“Yes, Mel?”
“We just got a call . . . and a request”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, . . .” Melina started and then relayed the
stranger’s request and desire for Melina to go to this
planet.
“I’ve never heard of it,” replied Nyja after the story
was finished. “Probably in the outermost part of the
Outer Rim. Somewhere not a lot of people have
traveled; at least not anyone we know.”
“I’ll look it up. Hurry back.”
“I will,” Nyja said and closed the communication.
Melina stood from her seat and moved to the computer
in the lounge area. This computer had a large
planetary database that the two had compiled over the
years. They had also gotten help programming it to
tap into local resources when available to add
information not included in the database. Melina
typed in the name, but the computer was unable to find
a match, even with looking on the HoloNet. She tried
several times and then realized that perhaps she was
spelling it incorrectly. For several for minutes,
Melina tried different spellings. Again, it took
several tries before the computer had found the proper
information. Melina found the navi coordinates and
input them into the navicomputer for easier access
when they were ready to leave.
Melina could hear the cargo doors opening and the
cargo droids placing materials into the cargo hold.
She stood up from the computer and headed to the rear
of the ship to check on the materials and see if Nyja
was with the droids.
“Find anything?” Nyja yelled from the hatch as she
rode a cargo crate up and into the hold.
“Yes, I was just getting ready to read it.”
As Melina started to peruse the data on the screen,
Nyja joined her sister.
“That’s odd,” Nyja said. “They have the technology to
travel the stars, but most of the people just stay on
planet or in their own system.”
Melina turned back to her sister. “They probably have
been wary of strangers. Perhaps there was something
in the past that happened because of trust of
travelers or something like that.”
“Sounds like they have an interesting political system
also,” Melina said. “It looks like the people elect a
leader, but they are given four candidates. I wonder
if there have been problems with that.” The girl
stopped to ponder a moment, then looked at the screen.
“I’ve heard stories on several other planets that a
government built on democracy doesn’t always work.”
“Well,” Nyja started. “It doesn’t matter right now.”
She straightened up and started toward the cockpit.
“Get the navicomputer started on calculating the jump
point. We’re getting out of here.”
Melina changed the screen on the computer and started
the navicomputer calculating the best jump to Quilove.
She then left the console and joined Nyja in the
cockpit.
“Copy that, tower,” Nyja said as Melina entered. Nyja
turned back to Melina. “We have clearance. Is the
navicomputer getting the coordinates?”
“Yes,” Melina said as she strapped herself in. “We
should have it by the time we leave the planet’s
atmosphere.
The ship started its launch sequence and began to
hover in place. Nyja could feel the landing gears
retracting into the hull of the ship. Once ready,
Nyja pulled back on the thrusters and felt the ship
move forward.
It took only a few minutes for the ship to leave the
atmosphere, and just as expected, the navicomputer
made a beeping sound alerting Nyja that it had
calculated the jump.
“Well,” she said as she placed her hand on the
hyperspace activation button. “Here goes nothing.”
Nyja pressed the button and the ship turned slightly
on its axel. The ship then slowed for a second and
then launched into hyperspace. From inside the
cockpit, Nyja and Melina watched as the stars
stretched and then disappeared as they entered
hyperspace.
*****
“Grand Vizier,” a voice said over an intercom.
“Yes?” came the reply.
“You have a visitor. He says he is an old friend.”
“What is his name?”
“Trac Looa,” came the voice.
Grand Vizier Essten, leader of all Quilove, sat back
in his large chair. He knew the name, but he didn’t
know why the man was visiting during the day. There
was nothing the Grand Vizier could do. The people in
the building had seen him. He had to cover as best he
could.
“Very well,” the Grand Vizier spoke. “Send him in.”
He paused again. “And cancel the rest of my
appointments. I’m going to busy.”
“Yes, sir,” the voice came as the large blast door at
the north end of the room opened.
“What in blazes are you doing here?” the Grand Vizier
yelled after the door closed. He stood up and walked
around the desk. “You should not have come here. Do
you know what I’m going to have to do to concoct a
plausible story to why some random person was able to
walk in here?”
“I’m sorry, Essten,” he apologized as he bowed. “It
could not be avoided. We have a problem.”
The Grand Vizier looked at the man. “What is it?”
“There has been a breach in security. Someone has
sent out a message to the girl.”
“What?” he screamed. “How could this happen?”
“We are not sure,” said Trac. We think it could have
been Jul.”
“Find out. The girl must not find out the truth.”
“Yes, Grand Vizier,” the man said as he bowed and
slowly left the room.
The Grand Vizier stepped back behind his desk and
pressed the telecom button. “Find the girl. She may
be on her way. Find out if Jul was the one that
contacted her.”
*****
The ship exited hyperspace at the edge of the Yusan
System. There were seven planets in the system and
four of them could support life. Nyja steered the
ship toward the third planet of the system, Quilove.
