Chapter 61: Hyperspace Hazards

I'm tutoring my nephew for his exams, apologies everyone - my upload might be erratic for the week.

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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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Tarek's P.O.V. :

Today marks the third day since the meeting, and it’s the day we finally tackle the side job Rina brought to the crew. Before diving into hyperspace anomalies, though, we made a quick pit stop to fulfill Shmi’s request for a shopping trip. Can’t say anyone complained, especially when we got a look at Anakin. The kid’s hit a growth spurt, all right—sprouted a full inch and a half taller in no time flat. For a four-year-old, that kind of growth isn’t just noticeable; it’s impressive. Watching him dart around the market like a Tooka kitten chasing a holo-toy, it was hard to begrudge the detour.

After loading up on essentials, a handful of spare parts Jake insisted were “probably unnecessary but you never know,” and a few extra sets of clothes for the kid, we headed back to the Stellar Envoy. The job awaited, and we weren’t about to leave credits on the table.

Now, with Nick-03 in the co-pilot’s seat and Rina occupying the support chair, I’m busy in the pilot’s seat, triple-checking every setting, vector, and calculation for this mission. Hyperlane anomalies aren’t something you approach casually—not unless you’ve got a death wish or a ship you’re willing to scrap. And since I’m rather fond of the Stellar Envoy and my continued existence, thorough preparation is the name of the game.

Rina leaned forward, datapad in hand, and rattled off the client’s original report. “He said his ship got booted out of hyperspace three times in roughly the same spot. Direction of travel: Coreward. Ship status: sublight systems powered down, shields at minimal, and inertial dampeners calibrated for standard efficiency. Got all that?”

I nodded, adjusting a few dials on the control panel. “Got it. We’re mirroring everything. Same route, same flight parameters, same system configuration. If we’re going to replicate whatever happened, we’ll need to mimic the circumstances down to the last detail.”

Nick-03 chimed in, his modulated voice calm and matter-of-fact. “Navigational vector input confirmed. Hyperspace coordinates locked. Awaiting final verification, Captain.”

I suppressed a grin. Jake’s Nick-03 droid is a solid copilot. Sure, they didn’t have the charm or instincts of a sentient partner, but when it came to precision, they were karking flawless - although with a really unique quirk.

Rina set the datapad down and leaned back, crossing her arms. “Any guesses on what we’ll find? Scanner glitch? Random gravitic interference? A surprise black hole?” She tossed out the last one with a smirk, but there was a flicker of genuine curiosity in her eyes.

I considered it for a moment, tapping my fingers on the yoke. “If I had to guess? Could be a gravimetric anomaly—a ripple in the hyperspace lane caused by a mass shadow nearby. Those can throw you out of hyperspace if you get too close. But if that’s all it is, the client wouldn’t have hired us. They’d have gotten some Nav Bureau tech to clean it up.”

“So what are you thinking?”

I glanced at her. “Honestly? Could be anything. Rogue debris field, old Republic-era mines that haven’t gone inert yet, or maybe someone’s set up a gravity well generator. If it’s pirates or slavers trying to ambush travelers, we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Comforting,” Rina deadpanned, but I caught the faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Relax,” I said, flipping a switch to bring the hyperdrive out of standby. “We’ve got the Nick droids, upgraded shields, and enough firepower to discourage anyone looking to pick a fight. Worst case, we just jump back to realspace and recalibrate.”

She didn’t argue, though her gaze lingered on the main viewport as if she were already trying to anticipate what lay ahead. For all her sarcasm and swagger, Rina was sharp as a vibroblade when it came to high-stakes situations. I appreciated having her in the support chair—she’d spot trouble as fast as anyone.

“All systems green,” Nick-03 announced. “Course plotted and verified. Ready to enter hyperspace on your mark.”

I gripped the yoke and let out a steadying breath. “All right, folks. Let’s see what kind of trouble Rina’s mystery client has sent us into.”

With a pull of the lever, the Stellar Envoy surged into hyperspace, the starlines stretching and twisting as the ship hurtled forward. The hum of the hyperdrive filled the cockpit, steady and reassuring. Everything was running smooth—so far.

“Now we wait,” Rina said, settling back into her seat. “Any bets on how long before something weird happens?”

I smirked. “Knowing our luck? Not long.”

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Jake's P.O.V. :

Just as I heard Tarek announce our entry into hyperspace en route to the nearest star system, I was elbows-deep in recalibrating the sensors for Nick-01 and Nick-02. Sure, the Stellar Envoy’s scanners are solid—custom-tweaked by yours truly—but there’s a saying I am learning to live by: Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. If we run into anything dodgy, having the Nick droids ready to scout outside could save us some headache.

I’d also taken the liberty of strapping prototype jetpacks to the Nick droids. The design was inspired—loosely, mind you—by the Mandalorians and their tech we’d encountered a while back. Those jetpacks were a masterpiece of engineering, but I’m not looking to copy them outright. Not unless I’m eager to dodge a group of bounty hunters aiming for my head for “dishonoring Mandalorian heritage” or some nonsense. Mine are simpler, with no built-in rocket launchers—yet. I’m not trying to start a war.

Still, this is a test run. If it works, I’ll tweak the design for the crew. Practicality aside, the idea of me, Tarek, or even Davik zipping around with jetpacks in a firefight is just too good to pass up. For now, though, the Nick droids are my guinea pigs.

Not to leave Skew droids out of the fun, I’d added magnetic locks to their legs. If we end up needing to send them outside, I’m making sure they’ll cling to the Stellar Envoy like mynocks to a power cable. Plus, the thought of the Nick droids zipping around while the Skews toddle along the ship’s surface like it’s nothing amuses me more than it probably should.

Meanwhile, I had Anakin help Shmi with some maintenance on the N5 Sentry droid. The kid’s energy is boundless lately, and having him focus on something productive keeps him from climbing the walls. I even gave him the green light to personalize the droid’s aesthetic. It’s not every day you see a battle droid with “personality,” and honestly? I want to see what the kid comes up with.

From the sound of things in the common area, the rest of the crew was taking a well-earned break. Kado was teaching Arlos how to play sabacc, though judging by the groans of frustration, he wasn’t faring too well. Mira and Davik were watching the match unfold, grinning like Loth-cats stalking a particularly clueless womp rat. If the mood in there was anything to go by, Kado’s sabacc face could use some work.

As I finished up with Nick-02’s recalibration, the thought struck me: with our history of jobs becoming exciting - this might be the calm before the storm. The hyperspace anomaly we’re heading for? No telling what we’ll find. Could be a simple sensor hiccup, or it could be something that turns this ship inside out. Either way, we’ll handle it - probably.

Wait - I remember Rina jinxing us, Dank Farrik!

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Rina's P.O.V. :

I unconsciously turned my head toward the corridor leading deeper into the ship. For a split second, I swore I felt like someone was talking about me. Brushing the thought aside, I leaned forward slightly and told Tarek we were approaching the first system where we could test the anomaly our client experienced—being ejected from hyperspace mid-transit.

Tarek gave a crisp, professional acknowledgment, his tone clipped like he was addressing a flight academy instructor. I almost smirked. He’s been like this ever since Nick-03 started calling him “captain.” I swear, being addressed like that by a droid has him determined to live up to the title. Not that it matters much—Nick-03 calls everyone captain. Even Anakin, who, if you ask me, finds it endlessly amusing.

Moments later, we dropped back into realspace, and Nick-03 immediately started running through a verbal checklist of conditions we needed to match for the jump. The droid’s monotone delivery didn’t bother me; it was oddly reassuring hearing the steps laid out, like a pilot droid giving final clearance.

Tarek, meanwhile, was already maneuvering the Stellar Envoy into position for the next jump, his focus unwavering. I could see the glint of determination in his eyes—probably still trying to impress the droid.

“Alright,” Tarek announced suddenly, his voice laced with a kind of glee that stood in stark contrast to his earlier professional tone. “Let’s kick this mission into hyperspace!”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the grin tugging at my lips. So much for the serious act. Still, there was something endearing about his enthusiasm. I leaned back, keeping one hand on the console as we surged into hyperspace.

Now came the waiting game. Would we get ejected, or would this hyperspace lane prove as ordinary as any other? Either way, I couldn’t shake the sense of anticipation.

Because experience taught me that when you fly the Stellar Envoy and it's crew, the ordinary has a way of turning extraordinary—and the extraordinary often means trouble - usually this involves blasters and explosions.

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Jake's P.O.V. :

After finishing up the upgrades on the Skew and Nick droids, I gave a casual wave to the group playing Sabacc in the common area as I made my way to the cockpit. If I caught the chatter correctly, we were currently flying through the hyperspace lane where Rina’s mysterious client kept getting forcefully ejected. Now, here’s the thing about hyperspace anomalies—they don’t just happen without a kriffing good reason.

From what I know—and I’ve logged more time than I care to admit pouring over hyperdrive schematics and hyperspace theory—getting ejected mid-jump is no small thing. You’d need something like:

• A massive gravitational field—maybe a rogue black hole or a collapsed star causing enough interference to trip the hyperdrive’s failsafes.

• A planetary body or station masking its mass shadow—though that level of stealth tech is rare outside of black-market.

• Hyperspace interdictors—those aren’t exactly standard fare outside of high-end military fleets.

• Localized subspace disturbances—those usually burn out before they affect ships.

• Gravity Wells – Artificial ones, like those generated by an Interdictor cruiser. But the Galactic Empire technically doesn't yet.

• Binary Star Fields – Natural gravity traps. Unlikely, though, since lanes are mapped to avoid those hazards.

• Cloaked Masses – Could be an asteroid cluster or an ancient derelict generating a passive gravity pull.

• Hyperwave Distortion – Rare, but hyperspace itself can be distorted by strong energy emissions in realspace.

Hmm, some of those seem to be redundant reasons...

I was still chewing over these possibilities as I arrived at the cockpit. I greeted Tarek and Rina, sparing a nod for Nick-03, who promptly addressed me as "captain" again. I sighed internally at its insistence on this quirk but didn’t bother correcting it.

After the pleasantries, I asked for a status update. Rina, looking both amused and mildly exasperated, informed me that the first attempt to replicate the anomaly had been a bust. Optimistically, though, she reminded me we still had three more hyperspace lanes to test.

But before she could finish, the ship jolted hard, and I barely registered her yelp before the Stellar Envoy was forcefully ejected from hyperspace. The sudden deceleration caught all of us off guard, and I nearly lost my footing. Would’ve face-planted into the cockpit floor if Rina hadn’t snagged my jacket and yanked me back upright.

“Try to keep standing, captain,” she muttered dryly, her grip firm as I caught my breath.

“Appreciate the save,” I replied, ignoring her smirk.

Tarek was already in "captain mode," his voice sharp as a vibroblade as he ordered Nick-03 to run full scans. Meanwhile, Rina was busy checking the panels. “No identifiable readings in the immediate vicinity,” she reported. “Nothing that screams ‘hyperspace anomaly.’”

Leaning over her console, I threw in a suggestion. “What about testing the scan frequencies? It could be something buried under the standard bands.”

Nick-03 chimed in immediately, its mechanical tone a little too smug for my taste. “All frequencies accounted for per preloaded parameters.”

I blinked. Should I feel annoyed that my idea was dismissed, or smug that I’d already accounted for it in the programming? Decisions, decisions.

The scans cycled through the basics, then pivoted to my more advanced settings. Orbital drift computations? Check. Multi-spectrum light analysis? Also check. So far, we’d come up with bantha poodoo—no gravitational interference, no mass shadows, no subspace anomalies.

“Well,” I muttered, grinning as the idea struck me. “Looks like I finally get to send my droids outside.”

Rina groaned. “Oh no. Not this again.”

“Oh yes,” I countered, already rubbing my hands together with anticipation. This wasn’t just about solving the mystery—it was a chance to field-test my upgrades in a real scenario.

I couldn’t help myself. A low, maniacal chuckle bubbled up as I pictured the Nick droids jetpacking around the ship and the Skew droids clinging to the hull like mynocks. Rina, predictably, kicked me in the shin.

“Cut it out, you mad gundark,” she snapped, though her tone was more amused than angry.

Ignoring her, I kept laughing—because who gets to have this much fun working?

Then, to my delight, Nick-03 attempted to mimic my laugh, producing a distorted, mechanical cackle. That sent me into full-blown hysterics. Rina buried her face in her hands. “This is what I deal with,” she muttered.

“Relax,” I said, waving her off. “This is going to be fun.”

With Tarek adjusting our position to stabilize the ship, I got to work deploying the Nick and Skew droids. Time to find out what in the blazes had yanked us out of hyperspace.