Year 6, Day 289Mos Eisley, Tatooine / Tatoo / Orus Sector

Sunlight. This blasted sunlight is cutting me to ribbons. And you'd think one sun would be enough, but no, this dustball planet just has to have two. I'm almost certain I'm getting the sunburn of my life. That'll look great, on top of the cuts on my face. It aches so much, I can't even put on my makeup, like a decent man.

Nine days so far, five since my pater's men moved on. It was here or Naboo, and the old man insisted Tatooine saw more interesting employment opportunities. If I'd known I was also in for a cantina full of spiced-up Gungans, I would have been on that old Action III, headed for some cozy palace in Theed. At least the Gungans stay in their swamps on the homeworld. The wretched amphibians shouldn't even be able to survive on this planet, let alone have the strength to start swinging broken bottles at people.

I swat at a sandfly that's been hovering all morning, and accidentally brush my right cheek with my fingertips. Pain explodes from the bruised bone, the laceration on top of it, and the sunburn on top of that. I should have just let the thing bite me.

Oh, Salliche. How I miss my wet, boring, hospitable world. All in all, Tatooine has very little to recommend it. Unpleasant climate, unpleasant animals, and a swarming host of unpleasant people. It's a marvel to me that anyone tries to eke out a living here, where the farmers have to harvest water itself. On Salliche water is abundant, we grow crops, and when you're this hot, you're not this bored.

There isn't even much to buy here, aside from sandblasted scrap and black market stuff I don't dare touch. Not that stockpiling would do me any good; my cargo hold is exactly as big as the spare pocket in my robe. I have to keep telling myself that will change soon, once the ship from the Corporate Alliance arrives.

After a tip from a trader whose company was dissolving, I submitted an application to the big, intragalactic company, not expecting a response. Three days ago they remotely hired me on as a junior associate. As soon as one of their ships passed through this hyperspace lane, someone would pick me up. It will be several more days, at least. I try not to think about it. Maybe it will be long enough that my face will heal, and I can make a presentable first impression.

"The future," I think, "in the very near future, I'll be a transport pilot. Maybe even a trader, with my own ship! That'll show the old man, when I pass by that rickety bucket he's flying and land a deal days ahead of him. 'Interesting employment opportunities,' indeed. Pha! I just know Mos Eisley was a practical joke..."

A pair of Toydarians eyeball me muttering to myself. They probably think I'm heat-mad, an easy mark. Time to find some kind of shade... and if anybody looks spicy, I'm swinging the bottle first this time!

Year 6, Day 299Mos Espa, Tatooine / Tatoo / Orus Sector

Finally!

A Trandoshan named Bellos Selexin finally arrived in the CA freighter Arke, to pick up me and another new recruit named Mike Mar. I've spent the past ten solar cycles exploring this planet, and let me tell you, I haven't found much. Some desert huts, an abandoned moisture farm... and sand. Lots and lots of sand. I hate sand. It gets everywhere.

As soon as Mike gets on board and Bellos fires up the sublights, I'll be on my way for my first real assignment!

Year 6, Day 304Middle of Nowhere / Corellian Sector

Mike Mar just disembarked to take command of the Commerce Guild freighter Tvar. He'll be flying back to our corporate headquarters, while Bellos and I head to the far-flung Spar sector, where I will pick up another CG freighter, the Nazran, on Riflor.

Even though it's just an old YG-4210, I'm looking forward to this assignment. It's a long, lonely jump, and not much to do but tabulate prospective profits based on Galactic Market trends, and waste time playing Dejarik holochess. But when I step off this boat, I'll be at HQ. Then the real opportunities will start opening up!

Year 6, Day 308Riflor / Riflori / Spar Sector

I'm on my way!

This is so exciting. I'm at the controls of the CG Nazran, ascending through Riflor's heavy, ash-laden atmosphere. Here's a little info I looked up about Riflor, since I didn't have much time to look around on the surface:

Pardot's Guide to Planets wrote:

Rilfor is located in the Tarxya system, it is the only known system in wild space. This sector is plagued by lack of knowledge and being very far away from every where. This planet is the home world of the Advozsec race. It has a thick, deep atmosphere which is laden with volcanic ash. The airborne ash diffuses the natural light of its suns, causing native species to develop specialize vision. Riflor is geologically unstable, and is constantly being stressed as it orbits a trinary star system and is orbited by three moons. The filtered sunlight has dropped the average temperature, despite its proximity to its suns, which has forced the Advozsec and other species to live near geothermal rifts. This is potentially dangerous, since frequent earthquakes cause large amounts of damage. The Advozes are an alien race characterized by their short stature, large black eyes, and enlarged cranium. Their skulls are punctuated by a short, thick horn which protrudes from the center of their forehead. Their ears are pointed. Native to the planet Riflor, the Advozsec have evolved in the planet's dense, ash-filled atmosphere. Their large eyes allow them to see in the murky light. Riflor's constant tectonic activity has instilled a sense of skepticism and pessimism, as the Advozsec cities are continually being rebuilt after natural disasters. A herbivorous race, the Advozsec were known to become vilently ill, should they consume any form of animal protein. They have developed technology that mirrors much of the galaxy, although they tend to build it on a smaller, more transportable scale.

Sounds like it's just as well I didn't stick around, huh?

Year 6, Day 313Hyperspace

I've been watching the stars swirl by for several days now. I've had longer hyper jumps when I worked for my pater's company, but this is still among the longest. It feels a little unusual to jump half the Galaxy in one go. I've passed up so many systems where business could have been done! No matter - I've got a mission.

I just received a special transmission from HQ, assigning me to a new, special task once I have delivered the Nazran. For now, let's just say it has to do with personnel transport. I don't dare get too specific, even recording this on an allied faction's ship. In time, people will know what happened.

Year 6, Day 324Hyperspace (Glythe Sector)

Stang! I've really been on the move since the moment I got behind the controls of the Nazran. President Stalwart and Director Jansen have kept me busy with Transport duties for nigh-on a month, especially now that I'm back in the Glythe sector.

There've been lots of quick jumps shuffling around Corporate Alliance, Commerge Guild, and Trade Federation ships. Right now I'm steering the biggest tub yet, the TFL Delivery, a 90-metre Gallofree Medium Transport. Big as it is, it's a damn sight quicker than that AA-9 I got saddled with earlier! Verre d'n Nocka, I'm glad I didn't have to jump that old nerf cross-sector!

It's good news all around. I just got a holomail notice that my second stock sale has been processed in the Galactic Market! It's small beans compared to the kind of sales I hope to make in the future, but profit is profit.

Uh-oh.... the navicomputer is telling me there's an anomolous gravity footprint ahead. That's never good when you're travelling in hyper! Back to the controls. Signing off!

Year 6, Day 329in orbit / Vinsoth / Glythe Sector

After a quick stop at HQ (and a delivery of 80 tons of freshly-killed space slug meat to the Greasy Sprocket) I loitered in the streets of CyGarr Landing for a couple of days. It encouraged me to finally witness first-hand the prosperity of our company! It appears we're well on our way to some serious expansion.

After a time I received instructions to report to the Vinsoth system for some kind of test. Apparently it's something coming down from the parent company, probably some kind of cultural tolerance seminar for trans-system traders. I think I'm already qualified, after my apprenticeship, but extra certifications might look good on the corporate resumé. If this test goes well, who knows what opportunities might open up?

Year 6, Day 330here and there / Vinsoth / Glythe Sector

Lots of representatives from the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) have shown up for this test, but we've just been informed that there will be a delay of nearly a week! You'd think an organization with this many subsidiary transport departments would be better organized. Seriously, send the test forms early enough to show up when people are gathered!

Oh no... I just thought of something. Maybe we're held up because this is some kind of physical training, and they're completing construction on some kind of morale-boosting, corporate-bonding obstacle course retreat! Although I don't much look forward to such a thing (the Buccaneer Jubilee on Rodia was quite enough, thanks Pater!) I suppose any opportunity to network with my fellows in the CIS and Trade Federation could prove useful.

For the next couple of days I'll be cruising around the system, getting orbital snapshots of the planets for my datapad scrapbook. I'm not sure I'll find much that's interesting, as Vinsoth is a largely unremarkable place (Pardot's Guide to Planets has practically no descriptions of anything in this system!), but maybe I'll manage to get in a quick visit to Aldaronach Station before the testing really starts.

Year 6, Day 344CyGarr Landing, Varno / Varn / Glythe Sector

I've spent a seemingly endless two weeks hovering around Vinsoth, scraping off mynocks and star barnacles. There's simply nothing better to do! It's that, or stare out the viewport at the impressive but ultimately boring CIS fleet that's been passing the time with me. We've pretty much traded all the gossip there is to trade, and I think people are getting itchy.

At least I've been granted a moment's relief! I've finally received orders to fire up the sublights on this huge boat, and return to Varno for some quick ship-swapping & cargo-loading action. Despite some confusion in the orders regarding who is supposed to be where, it's good to be doing something. I've been waiting for this supposed "test" to happen for far too long! I'm starting to wonder if it's some kind of obscure alien practical joke, similar to Narner Fool's Day back on Salliche.

Big ha-ha on us! We sat in orbit doing nothing for weeks! Excellent prank. Confused

I should be back in the Vinsoth parking lot pretty quickly, though, just in case this test actually starts. I'm not getting my hopes up.

Year 6, Day 363Eastport, Vinsoth / Vinsoth / Glythe Sector

It's been a few weeks, but I've been taking some time off to celebrate an old Sallichen holiday involving deep fried thicketfowl. It's just as well, since there's been a flurry of paperwork passing between the Corporate Alliance and ComBank, one of our CIS affiliates. All the bureaucratic correspondence has effectively halted me in my tracks, sitting here on Vinsoth, waiting for the final order to get some construction underway for ComBank.

The test was apparently cancelled a few weeks back, which was no small let-down! All of those assembled for the test were herded onto a Carrack light cruiser (impressive ship!) where we got the hairy eyeball from some stranger and were summarily dismissed. Apparently we weren't up to snuff, and the whole thing was called off once the instructor got a look at us. Heck of a waste of time, if you ask me. More importantly, it was a heck of a lot of missed profit! Oh, well.

So that's the news, such as it may be. I'm lounging in a mostly-empty Gallofree, snacking on leftover thicketfowl and amusing myself by singing bawdy songs into the cavernous echo of the cargo hold. I'd better not get used to this lazy life... I have a feeling things are about to go into hyperspeed once all the right signatures are in place!