Daiyu

Posted on Fri Aug 21st, 2026 @ 2:03am by Shipmaster Allore Titha & Second Officer Connor Benedict & First Mate Jaden Xiander & Chief Specialist Tsafic K'eezerekth

2,849 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Daiyu
Location: Safe House and Daiyu

Daiyu was a mostly lawless world covered in urban development. Criminals sold illicit goods openly, and bounty hunters would visit the world's markets to see if they could find tips for profitable targets.

The Gauntlet landed in its assigned landing pad in the freighter section of the Daiyu City starport, and the offloading of their cargo began. Allore supervised the unloading.

As the crew started working, Jaden sent Sparky out to splice into the dock security feeds. Afterwards, he got to work, helping offload the ship.

Connor was in the armory. He had checked out all of the Gauntlet's weapons, both big and small, and even rebuilt a few of the smaller ones.

Ilyana, dressed in what she called her lower city clothes; brown pants, dark shirt and jacket, came up to her sister and said, "I was thinking of going into the city. I need medical supplies. Tex is coming with me."

Allore nodded. "Stay safe, be careful okay?"

Smiling Ilyana headed off, their astromech rolling along behind her.

Allore watched her go and then turned back to the crates.

Jaden watched Ilyana leave and moved over next to Allore. In a low voice, he spoke. "She'll be okay. Tex'll make sure of it.”

Allore nodded at him. "I keep wondering if I am doing the right thing for this crew. We need the credits but the Empire's reach keeps growing.“

Now, Jaden turned to fully face Allore, turning her to face him. "Now you listen to me and listen good... You are our leader, and what's more, this crew is a family. Where you go, we go." He risked a quick kiss on her lips, then added, "And we know the Empire is trying to take over everything. However, the outer reaches? They have never made any serious inroads out there. It's too big and too unknown." He paused and added, "It would be the perfect place to hide away from their eyes, if we needed to do so.”

Allore nodded. "Well, I have a lead on our next job. Czerka Corps has an office here.”

Connor came out of the armory and saw Allore and Jaden. "Oh, hi. I reworked the heating coil on the blasters. So you can fire more shots without it overheating.”

Allore nodded. "What parts do we need to maintain it?" She asked Connor.

"Eventually we're going to need new coils and new power packs when these are depleted. Up side is, you can fire several hundred shots before the pack is drained, so we're in no danger yet.”

Allore nodded and pulled out her recording device and made a note. "I will keep an eye out for them though.”

"Thanks. Oh, the best coils are silver, but cost more though. Then either copper or gold." Connor replied.

Allore made the note. "How is our small arms supply?”

Connor paused before replying. " We could use some long range blasters besides mine. The hand blasters have seen better days. They are still serviceable, but it will soon get to the point that it will cost more to repair them than keep them.”

"There should be traders in the city," Allore said, pulling out a credit chip. She held it out. "Ship account.”

Connor took the chip. "Thank you. I can assure you I will use common sense in purchasing. Nothing to raise any eyebrows or suspicions. Anything you want in a blaster or knife?”

"As long as the blaster works, it's fine with me," Allore said. "Check with the rest of the crew.”

"Absolutely. I guarantee they will work and work well and for a long time. We will get our credits worth." Connor replied. "In fact. I already have in mind what I'd like us to have if I can find them and they aren't too pricey."

Jaden nodded as he listened. He was now more than ever, certain that he was glad that Connor had decided to remain with them. "See if you can get a few training droids as well. We need to keep our targeting skills fresh, just in case we need to use them." He gave a slight grin to Allore as he finished speaking, to see if she had anything to add.

"Training droids, okay, makes good sense. How many? Two? Three?" Connor asked and then added, "Anything special you want in a blaster Jaden? Other than it works when you pull the trigger?" Connor asked the ship's XO.

Jaden considered both questions for a couple beats, then replied. "I'd say get three, just in case. As for a blaster," he pulled his weathered and well-used, CV-94 heavy blaster pistol, and glanced at it. "I guess if you could see about finding any spare parts or new optics for this, that would be appreciated.”

Connor nodded, "Three training droids and parts and new optics for your CV-94. Okay, no promises but I'll do my best to find some parts for it. If not original, then parts that will work just as well.”

Jaden nodded his thanks. He then moved away, to speak to the approaching dock manager, to ensure they weren't going to get stiffed on the refuel costs.

As they spoke, Allore came back down the ramp after returning inside while the two men spoke. She held two slim chips in her hands. "Connor. Jaden." She said softly. "Come here." Her tone conveyed something hard to define.

Connor heard a quality in Allore's voice he hadn't heard before, he only knew it had carried a seriousness about it. He nodded his head and walked to where she stood but said nothing. He would let Allore do all the talking.

Hearing Allore call out to him, Jaden reversed his path to the yard master's office.

He moved quickly to stand next to Allore, feeling that something was bothering her. "What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

Allore looked at them both. "We need to evacuate the ship. Everyone. Gather their things and get out of here as soon as possible." She said softly. "Take the crew in two groups. Regroup at these coordinates." She placed the coordinate chip into each of their hands. "Imperials are coming."

As she spoke, Illyana hurried back into the landing bay, TEX rolling quickly right behind her towards the trio.

As the two groups merged, the hatch inside the cargo hold, where the three speeder bikes were stored, rolled up, revealing them to the group.

“Jaden, take two of the speeder bikes, take the younglings with you, and Connor, take the landspeeder. Take Covo and Tsafic with you. Make sure you take everything that can link you to the Gauntlet. Take the droids. Once you are all clear I will initiate the computer wipe and follow.”

Jaden nodded gravely. He wasn't sure how the Imperials had discovered their location, but he wasn't about to argue the point. The simple fact was, they HAD been discovered. They had to find a way to escape.

"We've got to find another ship, Allore. If we stay on this planet, it's only a matter of time before the Imps track us down and make the kill.”

"I am working on it." she said. "Take Tex, he will get you into the safe house." Allore looked around. "30 minutes. Get everyone out in 30 minutes.”

Jaden nodded. "I'll keep the younglings safe, Allore." He reached out and gently squeezed her hand. He then hurried back into the ship and, within twenty minutes, had packed all of his and Allore's things onto one of the cargo sleds, which he hooked to one of the speederbikes. The other speederbike towed a sled with more of the crew's vital equipment, and the remaining droids.

Jaden climbed aboard his speeder and spoke to the oldest youngling, who was piloting the other speeder. "Stay right with me," he said gently. "We might have to move quickly." He then looked at Tex and said, "Link up to my bike's navcom and plot out the safest path to our destination.”

The droid beeped his acknowledgement. On the other speederbike, Illenya had Kyle behind her. She had been quiet as her sister had given orders. Miran climbed on with Jaden and held on tight. Tex beeped at Sparky as the connection was made.

Connor listened in silence as Allore gave them the grim news that Imperials were coming, The question whirled in his mind. How did the Imperials know about them? But now wasn't the time for questions, it was the time for action. "I'll get the weapons and load them. Luckily, I travel light so it won't take me long to pack the little bit I have.” He paused for a breath, then added, “I'll collect Covo and Tsafic, and their belongings, and we'll meet up with you later.”

Once his group was ready, Jaden gave Allore another long look. The unspoken words of his gaze conveyed the strong feelings he had for her, and the desire to remain by her side.

However, she had entrusted him to protecting Tex and the younglings. So, after a couple beats, he nodded at her, fired up his bike and led his group out of the landing bay. He started following the path that TEX had sent to his navcom, and the group moved at a casual speed, hoping not to gain any unwanted attention.

Connor walked back inside the ship, "Tsafic! Covo! " He called out. "Collect everything you have, we are leaving!" Even as he began collecting weapons from the armory and placing them in sacks.

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The roar of the two swoop bikes blended into the endless noise of Daiyu. Rain hissed against transparisteel awnings overhead while thousands of speeders crossed invisible lanes between towering buildings. Neon advertisements reflected across the wet streets, turning every puddle into a shifting sea of colour. Illenya kept one hand steady on the controls as she threaded the bike through the crowded streets. Kyle clung tightly behind her. She could feel every bump as the young boy held on just a little tighter whenever another speeder screamed past. Tex was along beside them in the droid carrier, connected directly into Jaden's navigation system. Every few moments the astromech emitted another string of whistles as routes changed and hazards appeared ahead. She glanced into the mirror. Jaden was still behind them. Good. No... He was protecting them. She corrected herself. Allore had trusted him. That meant she should too. Still... Her thoughts kept drifting back toward the starport. Toward her sister. Toward the lie she'd recognised the moment Allore had said it. "I'll follow." She knew her sister too well. Allore never intended to leave with them.

The route Tex had selected took them away from the gleaming upper districts and down into Daiyu's lower commercial levels. The city seemed to close in around them. Buildings leaned over narrow streets like ancient cliffs. Pipes crossed overhead in tangled bundles. Steam poured from vents hidden between food stalls and repair shops. Nobody looked twice at them. A swoop carrying two teenagers wasn't unusual here. Neither was a battered cargo sled. Or a Droid attached to the side of the swoops. Daiyu survived because nobody asked questions.

Kyle shifted behind her. "Is... is Allore coming?"

Illenya swallowed. She kept her eyes on the road. "Yes." It wasn't entirely a lie. She believed Allore would come. She simply didn't know when. Kyle nodded quietly. Whether he believed her or simply wanted to, she couldn't tell.

Ahead, the street narrowed abruptly. Tex chirped sharply. A flashing route marker appeared across Jaden's display. Detour. Illenya looked up. Imperial patrol. Four stormtroopers had established a temporary checkpoint where the avenue crossed into the next district. People were already being stopped. Cargo scanners were operating. Identification checks. Too risky. She raised one hand without looking back. The agreed signal. Left. Immediately. The two swoops slipped into a narrow maintenance alley barely wide enough for them to pass. Connor's landspeeder wouldn't fit. Her heart skipped. She reached for the comlink clipped to her jacket.

"Connor." Static.

Then—"We're behind you."

"I've found a checkpoint."

"Saw it."

"You can't come this way."

A pause. Then Connor answered calmly. "Tex already sent me another route. We'll meet you at the coordinates." She let out the breath she'd been holding. "See you there." The transmission ended. The alley twisted beneath the city. They passed repair shops, illegal market stalls, open-air machine dealers and more than one obvious arms merchant. No one cared. Credits spent the same regardless of where they came from. Tex suddenly stopped. He spun once before extending a manipulator toward what appeared to be nothing more than another mechanic's garage squeezed between two aging buildings. The sign above it flickered. Most of the lettering no longer worked. Inside sat three half-disassembled swoops. Oil stained the floor. A grizzled Duros mechanic barely looked up as they entered before returning to the engine he was rebuilding.

Illenya slowed. "This is it?" Tex whistled confidently. The Duros finally glanced toward them. His eyes lingered on the astromech. Then, without speaking, he nodded once toward a shelf at the rear of the workshop. Nothing else. No greeting. No questions. Just the smallest acknowledgement. As though he'd been expecting them.

Illenya climbed from the bike. Kyle followed. The others began unloading what little they had managed to save from the Gauntlet. She approached the shelving. Old engine blocks. Power converters. Broken repulsor housings. Nothing unusual. Tex rolled forward.

A small interface probe extended from his dome. He plugged into a concealed socket hidden beneath the workbench. There was a quiet click. Then another. Hydraulics whispered somewhere inside the wall. The shelving slowly rolled sideways. Behind it...

A narrow durasteel doorway appeared where moments before there had only been solid wall. Illenya stared. "...Allore." She almost laughed. Of course she'd hidden an apartment behind an illegal swoop garage. It was exactly the sort of thing her sister would do. The blast door slid open. Warm amber light spilled into the workshop. For the first time since leaving the Gauntlet... Illenya felt something she hadn't allowed herself to feel. Hope. She turned back toward the others. "Everyone inside."

Her voice sounded stronger than she felt. "Move quickly." As Kyle disappeared through the doorway, she remained outside for one final moment. Her eyes drifted instinctively toward the distant skyline.

Toward the starport. Toward the smoke beginning to rise above the landing fields. She whispered so quietly that only she could hear it. "Come home, Allore..." Then she stepped through the hidden doorway. The wall slid silently shut behind them. From the street outside... The garage was once again nothing more than another forgotten repair shop on a forgotten street in one of the most dangerous cities in the galaxy.

Once everyone was inside, Jaden had Sparky hook into the security system and keep watching. He then helped the younglings get settled. "Once Allore gets here, we will figure out our next steps." He gave them a gentle grin as he added, "For now, try to get some rest."

Connor as was his way was quiet. He checked and rechecked security feeds as they waited for Allore to join them. yet even as he waited he couldn't help but wonder how did the Imperials find out about them? He refused to believe that any in their little group would betray the others. it was a question for a later date right now they needed to think and plan their next move. Starting with getting a ship and then getting off this planet.

Tsafic had to leave her Droideka, but she was able to pull the Protocol Droid brain. She was sitting in the small apartment, waiting for the Captain to return. The bag she carried with her, was packed with various tools, and parts, but she was in the middle of working on, what the others called, laundry. So she was dressed in her Jawa Robes. She looked at Connor. "What now?" She simply asked.

Connor stopped his checking of the security feeds. "What now?" He repeated, " Well. for starters we wait for Allore to get here and then we sit down and figure out a plan to get off this planet without getting caught or killed and that requires a ship of some sort. Preferably one that is inconspicuous which rules out a star destroyer."

Tsafic grunted, before she said something in high speed Jawa. Then she produced a cred stick from her robes, which, only contained three thousand credits. "Help with new ship?" She asked holding it towards Connor.

Connor's eyes widened in surprise as Tsafic produced a cred stick which contained three thousand credits. "Tsafic, where did you get three thousand credits? And you hold on to it. Your gesture is very much appreciated but let's see where we are in acquiring a new ship. We'll hold your generous offer in reserve."

"Tae." Tsafic said as she put the cred stick away. Then she turned towards a seat and took it. She was now waiting for Allore to return and give them some information.

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