Smuggling on the rise in the Dathomir system?

Date: 280909
Planet: Dathomir System
Region: Northern Dathomir

Story: (Written by the Galactic News Agency, Ramona doesn't write IC).

Dathomir is infamous among spacers and explorers for its dangers. Between hostile natives, rumored to be all force users, hostile animals and several rather secluded settlements whose inhabitants have a tendency to retain their privacy by killing visitors, the planet attracts only those with very compelling reasons to make landfall there. And such reasons do exist, as evidenced by the imperial patrols in te system, and the ships that sneak or fight their way to and off the planet anyway.



Three days ago a Vigo-class gunboat was detected taking off from the northern part of Dathomir, boosting away from the planet's orbit at maximum speed and shaking off pursuit by Void Wing bandits and Black Sun raiders before making the jump out of system, way ahead of any patrols. The scanners showed another ship near the Vigo, a possible escorting craft, but not even the type could be identified before contact was lost.

One day ago another freighter, an unidentified YT-1300, lifted off from the Trade Outpost, without clearance by local traffic control, evaded the approaching patrols and made the jump to Hyperspace.



System command stated that no cargo or passenger flight had been authorized and that the Vigo likely had been a smuggler, given the lack of a distress call or report when attacked by Void Wing bandits. They did not comment on speculations that the alleged smugglers were dealing in restricted "cultural artifacts" from the indigenous tribes of Dathomir, though it's an open secret that such "ressources" are some of the hottest commodities Dathomir has to offer and very much sought after in certain circles. Given the hostile attitude of the natives most such artifacts are acquired through violence however.

Though as the rotted remains of a massacre a group of hunters discovered in a spider-infested cave shows - the dead were all killed swiftly and with weapons that match some of those employed by local tribes - the native clans of Dathomir are as violently hostile - or even more hostile - to each other as they are towards strangers.