> Disclaimer: Star Wars and all of it's Intellectual Properties is owned by George Lucas and Walt Disney, This fictional work and all of it's original characters are however mine.
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The soft hum of machinery filled the rented hangar bay 7-10, and the metallic clanging of tools echoed as Jake worked on the ship repairs alongside the Quids. Days had passed since the logic processor mishap with the droids, and though Jake hadn’t fully resolved every problem, he was finally getting a handle on the ship’s core systems. Working steadily, he grumbled to himself about the painful lessons learned over the past week.
“I should’ve just started with droid programming the right way,” he muttered under his breath, nudging one of the half-repaired droids out of the way. “Instead of just winging it and relying on this tech-savant shortcut, I could’ve saved myself a world of headaches.” In those first days after the malfunction, Jake had scoured the holonet for anything related to droid programming, sensors, scanners, and dataspikes. He felt a pang of embarrassment when he realized how many basic tools he’d overlooked. “Dataspikes—should have seen that one coming.”
His deep dive into the basics had quickly snowballed. He’d gone from studying sensors to schematics for speeders, from hyperdrives to advanced starship modules. The sheer breadth of information available left him feeling both humbled and invigorated. He might not be able to call himself a master of this galaxy’s tech, but he’d at least learned enough to understand what he was working with instead of relying solely on his savant instincts.
Satisfied with the droids—for now, at least—Jake returned to the task he’d set aside: the ship repairs. His gaze drifted briefly to his gauntlets lying nearby, but he shook off the temptation to tinker with them. “Focus, Jake. This ship’s been waiting long enough as it is,” he reminded himself, diving back into his work.
Another three days passed, and though Jake spent most of that time in the hangar, Kado made a couple of visits to check in on his progress. On his most recent visit, Kado lingered, giving Jake a hand with the repairs, whether by passing tools or lifting heavy parts.
“So, how’s it coming along?” Kado asked, propping himself up on a crate nearby as Jake fastened a set of wiring near the hyperdrive.
“Slow but steady,” Jake replied, carefully securing a circuit and giving it a quick once-over. “Droids gave me more trouble than I’d like to admit. Had to go back to basics just to get a handle on things.”
Kado chuckled, clearly amused. “You’re not the first person to get in over their head with tech. Droid programming’s a tricky beast.” He handed Jake a hydrospanner, nodding approvingly as Jake continued the repair. “Gotta say, though, you’re doing well for a newbie.”
They worked in silence for a few minutes, the rhythm of repairs settling into an easy pace. Then Kado broke the silence with a curious tone. “Hopefully Davik manages to find us a good pilot. We’ve been lucky so far, but a dedicated pilot would make things easier for all of us.”
Jake nodded in agreement, grateful to be able to focus on the ship while chatting with Kado. “Yeah, it’d be a relief to have someone who knows what they’re doing behind the controls. Never thought I’d end up in the middle of a crew, let alone one that relies on salvage and tech work.”
“Speaking of,” Jake continued, glancing over at Kado, “how did you, Davik, and Mira end up as a salvager crew? You three seem like you’ve been at this for a while.”
Kado leaned back, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he reminisced. “That’s a long story. We didn’t exactly start out as a team. I met Davik years ago. He was already running small-time salvage ops—taking odd jobs, fixing up whatever he could get his hands on. I’d just left the Syndicate I was working for, looking to lay low and find honest work for a change.” He chuckled. “If you can call salvage ‘honest work.’”
Jake nodded, his curiosity piqued. “And Mira?”
Kado’s smile softened at the mention of her name. “Mira came along a bit later. She was… well, let’s just say she was more on the independent side of things when we first crossed paths. She’d been doing a lot of intel work, had a solid network, but was missing the resources to make the big plays she had in mind. Davik and I were just the right fit.”
“So, it all came together,” Jake murmured, understanding the unspoken bonds of loyalty and trust that must have formed over time.
“Exactly. And with Davik’s mechanical expertise, Mira’s connections, and my background in… let’s just call it ‘strategic operations,’ we’ve managed to make a name for ourselves.” Kado shot Jake a sly grin. “And now, we’ve got you—assuming this tech-savvy approach keeps working out for you.”
Jake chuckled, grateful for the compliment. “Well, if I don’t blow up another droid in the process, I’d say I’m on the right track.”
They exchanged a grin, and for a moment, Jake felt more at home than he’d expected to feel in a galaxy so far removed from everything he once knew.
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Two more days slipped by before Davik finally returned, a confident grin on his face as he strolled into the hangar with a young man trailing behind him. Jake, busy running diagnostics on the ship’s engine panel, caught sight of them and straightened up, observing the newcomer with a quiet curiosity. Kado, who happened to be on-site that day, was already grinning, happy to see both Davik and his new recruit.
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Davik waved them over, then gestured proudly to the man beside him. “Everyone, meet Tarek Fynn Orain. Found him through some... unorthodox channels, but I’d say he’s exactly what we need.”
Tarek stepped forward, offering a nod and an enthusiastic handshake first to Kado, then to Jake. “Pleasure to meet you both. And the ship…” His eyes lit up as he caught sight of the YT-1300 behind them. “Is that what I think it is? I’ve been dying to see one up close!”
Kado chuckled, pleased with the young pilot’s excitement but still curious. “Well, Tarek, I’ve gotta ask—how much experience do you actually have flying starships?”
Tarek hesitated, glancing briefly at Davik before answering. “Uh… most of my experience has been through simulators,” he admitted, the enthusiasm in his voice faltering slightly.
“Not ‘most,’” Davik interjected with a smirk. “All. Every flight hour he’s clocked so far has been in simulators.”
Kado’s smile vanished as he turned a wide-eyed look toward Davik. The silent question in his gaze was obvious. But Davik shrugged, looking unfazed. “The original pilot I was after recommended Tarek—Kal and Laena both vouched for him. Turns out Kal even trained him personally.”
Kado let out a long breath, still unsure, but Jake had been mulling things over in his own head. After all, simulators were part of his own cramming over the past few days. “There’s a flight simulator I’m planning to install as part of the ship upgrades,” he offered. “With some tweaks, I can have it up and running in an hour. Might be a good way to see what Tarek’s got.”
Kado and Davik exchanged a glance, each silently considering the plan, before nodding. Davik gave Tarek an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “Well, there’s your shot. Prove Kal and Laena right.”
Tarek swallowed, but his determination outweighed his nerves. “Sounds like a plan.”
In a little less than an hour, Jake had the simulator set up in a clear corner of the hangar, the old unit now modified and calibrated for Tarek’s use. Tarek climbed into the seat, his hands hovering over the controls with a mixture of familiarity and apprehension, while Jake ran through the final adjustments.
Kado and Davik joined Jake as he finished setting up, Kado leaning in to whisper, “Set it up for a planetary escape to hyperspace, with pursuers. Let’s see how he handles the pressure.”
Jake nodded, inputting the details into the scenario generator and locking it in. Tarek’s screen flickered to life, displaying the cockpit view of a ship on a densely populated planet. He glanced over at Jake, who gave him an encouraging nod before pressing the start button.
The simulation began, a set of pursuit warnings flashing as the program threw a series of challenges at him: tight urban navigation, handling an overloaded ship, and dealing with a squadron of pursuers hot on his tail.
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As the simulation whirred to life, Tarek’s gaze locked onto the screen, his hands hovering over the controls as if the physical instinct alone could pull him through. The simulated cockpit hummed, replicating the feel of a real starship, the vibrating thrum of engines pushing to the edge, pulsing through his fingertips.
Ahead, a bustling cityscape stretched out in all directions, buildings rising like jagged teeth, narrow passages winding between them. Red lights flashed on his display: pursuers on his tail. He took a deep breath and gripped the controls.
“Alright, Tarek,” he muttered to himself, “you’ve got this.”
He launched forward, guiding the ship through a narrow alley between two skyscrapers, skimming so close to the building on the right that the alert chime of proximity warnings started blaring. His fingers tightened as he dipped lower, slipping into the shadows cast by the towering structures. He could almost feel the walls closing in, the simulation’s realism adding weight to his nerves.
Behind him, the pursuers grew bolder, edging closer with each tight turn. A quick glance at his radar revealed four ships, all closing in fast.
They’re too close.
With a sudden swerve, Tarek threw the ship into a sharp left turn, nearly scraping the hull along the wall of a towering apartment block. One of the pursuing ships tried to follow and clipped its wing against a protruding balcony, bursting into a flash of sparks before spiraling out of control. Tarek allowed himself a brief grin but didn’t dare celebrate.
He banked the ship upward, aiming for open air above the city, but the pursuers adjusted, following his every move. The heads-up display pulsed, signaling incoming fire. Tarek’s fingers flew across the controls, dodging the first round of laser blasts as he twisted the ship into a dizzying spiral.
“Come on, come on…” he urged, as he threaded his way through the upper levels of the cityscape. Ahead, he spotted a shipping lane filled with freighters and transports lumbering toward the edge of the city, a perfect obstacle to shake his followers. With a sudden thrust, he plunged into the lane, darting between the hulking ships, dodging stray crates and containers with mere centimeters to spare.
The first two pursuers attempted to follow him into the lane but misjudged their entry, one crashing into the rear thrusters of a freighter while the other spiraled out of control and exploded in a flash of simulated debris.
Two down. Two to go.
But as he cleared the shipping lane, his radar blared a new warning: planetary defense forces had been alerted to his unauthorized entry. Three more blips lit up on the screen—new pursuers inbound, and fast.
Heart pounding, Tarek pushed the engines to maximum, rocketing toward the city’s outer limits and the open sky beyond. His fingers danced over the controls, rerouting power to the shields as he felt the hull shudder under the strain. He checked the hyperspace console—he’d need at least ten more seconds to safely clear the atmosphere before he could jump.
Suddenly, a laser blast hit his starboard wing, jolting him hard enough that he nearly lost control. Alarms blared, and he quickly ran damage control, rerouting power and stabilizing the ship just in time to weave between two more oncoming freighters. The defense ships were relentless, gaining on him with every second.
“Just a few more seconds!” he growled, watching the atmosphere clearance counter inch down.
At last, the clearance indicator flashed green. Hyperspace ready. With a final, desperate punch, Tarek activated the hyperdrive. The stars stretched into lines, and with a flash, he disappeared into the safe, cold quiet of hyperspace.
The simulation faded, and the hangar filled with silence as Tarek slumped in his seat, panting and sweating. The adrenaline still pounded in his veins, but a small, triumphant smile crept across his face.
Across the room, Kado gave a low whistle, while Jake exchanged a look of approval with Davik.
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