Chosen Forums

Guest · Last edited by Guest on Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:47 pm; edited 1 time in total

((This is a story based off of the Bounty Hunter I play. I'm working on this story on my forum, but thought I'd share. I ask that no one reply to this thread as it breaks the continuity of the story.))

The clamor of the starport hid any noise my gear made as I tossed it into the small cargo hold of the Scyk-class light fighter I would be flying. The whine and hum of sub-light engines filled the air as spacecraft came and went. The few moments of reprieve were filled with the sounds of the travelers and the starport intercom system. I could never hear the intercom system over all the other noise and found myself wondering why they bothered. It gave someone a job I suppose.

The suns of Tattooine shone down defiantly even as they made they slow descent towards the horizon. The warm breeze carried the smells of exhaust, fuel, food, sweat and some distantly in all of that was the smell of the desert. I closed and secured the cargo hatch and took a moment to enjoy the display. The harshness of the deserts reminded me of Iridonia when I was a kid. My more recent memories of home I’d rather forget. I was half way up the small ladder to the cockpit when blasterfire made me turn my head and reach for my own. After a quick assessment it seemed that the stormtroopers at the security gate found something they didn’t like. I nodded approvingly to myself as I continued my climb and then settled myself in the seat. Bestine was an orderly place. If only the rest of the galaxy could be.

Pushing the ladder away I started my pre-flight system checks – power, lights, life support systems, gauges, etc. All standard and all routine by now and I did them without thinking much about them anymore. Years of military regimen were ingrained in me forever. Definitely not a bad thing as far as I was concerned. The Empire had its purpose, but I certainly didn’t agree with all of their policies and practices.

“Bestine tower 1, this is the Basilisk request clearance to depart.” I called over my headset.

“Tower 1 to Basilisk, hold your position.”

“Acknowledged.” I replied.

As I sat an incoming transport came to a lumbering halt before softly touching down. I sat watching the masses get off of the transport and caught myself staring at a human female with two children being met by a human male who squatted to embrace his children.

I didn’t remember anything about my father. He left my mother and I while I was still a baby. Iridonia at the time was more about survival as they were still rebuilding from the Mandalorian invasion, so my mother quickly remarried even though she loved my father dearly. So long ago, yet still most of the nine planets of Iridonia were rebuilding. Even during my last military engagement I could still see the scars the Mandalorian wars had left in its wake.

My mother claimed her grandfather was a Mandalorian. According to the story, he was part of one of many invasion forces. His Basilisk malfunctioned and he was left for dead. The Mandalorian forces had later pulled out to face an incoming republic fleet and he was left behind. Apparently he fell in love with a local woman who had nursed him back from the brink of death and the rest as they say, is history. I guess I named my ship the Basilisk as a reminder that sometimes war brings happy endings among the pain and turmoil, even though I’ve never had one.

“Tower 1 to Basilisk, you are clear for departure. Vector 5.61.” The sound of the operator broke me from my reverie and I noticed the transport was long gone.

“Acknowledged tower 1.”

The departure was uneventful as usual and in no time my ship and I were surrounded by the stretched star lines of hyperspace. I had a healthy respect for space. It was cold, calm, and quiet – like me, but like me it was a façade. Space seemed to be lethargic but could strike at anytime with deadly results. Between novas, asteroids, magnetic fields, and black holes there was plenty to keep a pilot on his toes if he didn’t know what to look for.

I made sure my course and follow-up programming was correct and then pulled out my datapad to look over my notes and a small strip of metal attached to a square-shaped piece of glass. It was the bio-signature my informant provided. My mark had apparently planted a virus in the computers of his former employers and was now trying to blackmail them for a large sum of credits in exchange for another program that would kill the virus.

Corporate espionage was getting worse by the day it seemed. Large interstellar corporations were slowly eating up the smaller ones and becoming super-powers in their own right. They all paid their share to the Empire of course, but they had credits to pay off officials, buy their way past permits and safety regulations. The Corporate sector was more like a gathering of high-class gangs that made Jabba, Nym, and the Black Sun pale in comparison. They knew the Empire had its hands full with the rebellion and internal political posturing so as long as they kept throwing credits around and the Empire had funding for its war then all was well in the galaxy. The problems in Restuss were the best thing that could have happened for the corporate sector.

I held the bio-sig up to a cockpit light inspecting it for scratches as I always did. The probots seemed to be getting touchier with what they could read nowadays. Funds were spread too thin on “other” projects and the Empire didn’t think it financially sound to spend anymore developing an improved model.

“Oh well, we make due with what we have.” I said aloud. I looked up from my notes and my eyes came to rest on the picture of my wife. “And what we don’t have.” I sighed, longingly touching the picture.

It turned out I didn’t need a bio-signature this time. The fool had contacted his employers again and while they couldn’t get a fixed position on him, they knew he was on Yavin 4. I’d been there a few times, mostly for training. It was a beautiful place and had forests, jungle, beaches and some mountainous areas – a little something for everyone. It ranked among the top decent places to hide if you knew what you were doing, but not from me. It was largely unpopulated due to the hostile wildlife and only had two landing stations at small R&D facilities. Most people that stayed on the planet for any length of time were hunters or scientists.

I opened my comm. channel and punched in a few numbers. The comm. chirped a few times before a voice answered on the other end.

“Evergreen Tour & Travel, how may I help you?”

“This is customer number 56387. I wanted to verify my transport is on schedule and will be available upon my arrival.”

“One moment please.” The sound of the operator’s keypad clicking could be heard as he entered the customer information. “Yes sir, we have your current arrival time and your transportation will be ready and waiting when you get here.”

“Excellent. Thank you.”

“Is there anything we can do to make your time here enjoyable?” The man asked.

“That will be all.”

“Very well, we will await your arrival then. One of our representatives will be standing by outside the facility. Thank you for using Evergreen Tour & Travel.”

I turned the comm. off and relaxed a little checking the navi-computer; one more hour.

Guest · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:40 pm Post subject:

The outpost was quiet like I remembered. Scientists roamed about alone or in small clusters talking about this discovery or that while hunters and most likely some criminals went in and out of the small makeshift cantina.

I resealed the cargo hatch and the remainder of my gear sat in bags at my feet. I squatted down and opened one bag and flipped the power switches on three seeker model droids, then stood as they rose to shoulder height. Removing a small cable from my belt pouch, I plugged one end into my datapad and the other into the first seeker and began the download sequence. All of the information regarding the mark, including a picture provided by my employers, was copied over to the seekers memory core. Once finished the seeker then sent the information to the other two droids via infrared. Finally in unison they all sped off in different directions.

Picking up my bags I headed to the small elevator that went from the landing platform down to the ground level. I then went directly to a small building covered in doors. These were more or less private storage rooms that one could rent. You swipe your card, store your items, set a password for yourself and then get charged a fee per hour. Above each door was either a red or a green light. I stopped in front of the first door I found with a green light and removed my account card from my jacket and swiped it through the reader. The door opened with a hiss and the light turned red.

The inside was about 4x4 with two lockers on a wall and a small bench. I put my clothes in a locker and got down to the tedious task of getting my armor on. Armor was a necessity and took some time to get on because it had to be put on in a certain order and making sure each piece meshed properly required certain adjustments to be made along the way.

I then started putting on the different belts and harnesses that held the various pouches and holsters. I checked each pouch to make sure they contained what they should; medpacks, stims, bandages, rations, traps – everything was there as I knew it would be. I’m pretty meticulous about going prepared. I put my carbine in the leg holster, slung my lightning cannon, and placed my knuckler in its snap-loop.

Last but not least, was the helmet. After getting it settled in place I rolled my head around its full range of motion to get it just right, adjusted the neck sleeve, then switched on the display. I switched through the display options – infrared, night vision, micro binocular, and then tested the antenna. The built-in rebreather was a tad harder to test without the right environment, but not everything could be tested all the time. All seemed to be in order. I stashed the empty bags in the lockers and exited the room, setting my password. The mini-HUD on my left bracer began to flash. I quickly made my way past everyone towards the north gate.

Just outside was an Evergreen Travel & Tour booth with a bright-eyed Twi’lek male standing inside talking spiritedly with a Bothan female. I approached and stood silently assessing how long he was going to be. After just a minute it was clear they were having a discussion about the marvels of their respective home worlds, not so subtly taking jabs at each other in an unspoken contest of whose planet was bigger, had more spaceports, more flowers, more culture, etc.

“Sugar coat it however you like, you have a strip of planet to live on and it’s basically dark all the time.” The Bothan said pointedly.

The Twi’lek’s eyes blazed and his lekku seemed to twitch involuntarily. “I’ll have you know that we have more beauty and culture in our ‘little strip of planet’ than your entire—“He cut off abruptly looking my way.

“Terribly sorry Sir, how may I be of service?” He asked professionally.

“Hopefully not taking him to see the ‘strip of wonder’.” The Bothan mumbled loud enough to be heard. The Twi’lek just shot her a dirty look that was over in the blink of an eye and then he was again focused back on me.

“Customer 56387.” I said.

“Ah yes, I’ve been expecting you.” He replied with a smile and looked over some paperwork. “Here is the ignition code. You’ve paid in advance so no worries there. Yours is the third one down – olive green as requested.” He finished with a smile.

I nodded and started heading toward the speeder they had prepared. The conversation seemed to pick up right where it left off once I was a few paces away. I grinned under my helmet. It never ceased to amaze me how people could be so patriotic about their home worlds while at the same time not living on them. My home world certainly had a special place in my heart, but it was by no means the crown jewel of the galaxy.

Once I was settled I started the speeder up and kicked in the accelerator and disappeared into the woods with a hum. I stuck mainly to animal paths when I could while still keeping a heading on the triangulated location of my mark. Many times I had to slow down as the dense foliage often hid large rocks. Infrared was no good today - the sky was overcast and the plants were warmer than the rocks behind them. I followed my zigzag pattern for an hour into the wilderness before I finally caught up with one of the seekers. I left the speeder in some brush and started to head in on foot, careful to remain silent while running a loop pattern scan on the surrounding area.

About fifteen minutes later I peered around the trunk of a large tree to find a clearing with the entrance to a structure of some kind. Guards milled about outside in no particular order or formation and were diverse in both weaponry and armor. The armor of the guards covered the spectrum from bone, mabari, ubese, and some home-made varieties. The sets were mixed and matched and nothing was made to fit if it even fit well at all. They looked to be common thugs and street toughs out to make an easy credit.

I pulled back and squatted with my back against the tree and my hands on my knees and thought a moment. Normally when coming upon a fortified position with who knew how many guards, I’d call some of my clansmen to help clear the place out, but this time I decided guile might be more effective. I stood and walked out into the clearing straight toward the group like I owned the place. A dozen weapons rose to point at me.

“You boys better lower those weapons or I’ll fire every one of ya!” I yelled. Some of them lowered hesitantly, but a few remained fixed. They looked nervous.

“I said put it down rookie!” I screamed at the first man I came to, the front of my helmet pushing the end of his carbine back against him.

“Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?” The man asked. His demeanor placed him as the makeshift leader of the bunch.

“I am ‘Sir’. You will refer to me as ‘Sir’ from here on out and I came from hell to whip you youngins into shape and make a respectable security force out of you. You sorry excuses couldn’t collectively fight your way out of a bantha dung heap.” I replied matter-of-factly.

The leader lowered his weapon to his waist and looked me up and down purposefully. “I dunno boys, I don’t think he’s up to the task.” He finished in fits of laughter and the others started to laugh uncertainly with him.

He wasn’t the first to crack on me about my height, but it became clear he needed to go if this was going to work. In a matter of seconds my hand went to my blasterfist and then crushed the front of his face. The laughed stopped abruptly and the closer men slowly backed up a little while staring at the body.

“Anyone else a comedian?” I asked calmly. No one responded. “Good. Now get rid of that body and I expect to see some pathetic attempt at a formation when I come back.” I said as I finished putting the blasterfist back on my belt. I strode into the building without looking back at them and found myself in a dimly lit hallway. The hall went downward at a steep incline before I reached a three-way intersection. I went down the right one and passed a few offices and labs with men in white lab coats. Some of them glanced out the window back at me, but they weren’t alarmed and most paid me no mind at all as I passed. The entire place was noisy from generators and other machinery they were using here.

Finally I found what appeared to be the control room. Inside I plugged into the central mainframe and downloaded the building schematics. The structure wasn’t really as large as it seemed and after a few moments of study I had decided where I would need to place charges. Using the map on my datapad I went down every hallway and checked every room until I finally found the man I was looking for. Noting the spot, I turned and headed back out the way I came.

Outside the body was now gone and the men were standing in three crooked lines in front of the entrance.

“Looks like I’ll be staying awhile.” I said loudly. “Pity for all of you.” I said chuckling.

“YOU!” I screamed pointing at the man at the end of the first line. He jumped a little and looked back at me uncertainly. “Yes you poodoo for brains, get over here front and center.”

The man jogged over to me and made an attempt at a salute.

“Don’t you ever salute me!” I screamed in his face. “Until you learn to do it correctly your hands had better stay on your weapon. At least if you manage to screw that up it will be your foot you shoot off.”

The man looked suitably embarrassed and enraged all at the same time.

“You my challenged comrade are going to go to the end of each line and help the rest of these scums get in a straight line.”

“Yes Sir.” He said shortly before trotting back towards the end of the line.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes and there had better be some order out here.” I said over my shoulder as I headed into the jungle back to my speeder. I retrieved the backpack I always brought but rarely needed and headed back.

To my surprise they had actually managed to get into straight lines that may have looked sharp if not for the jawa market of armor they wore.

“Good job. Now you all look like you might just know what you’re doing. We all know better of course, but to some little gang of treasure hunters you all look like a trained fighting force. Intimidation can stop firefights before they start. Remember that.” My comment brought some grunts and some of the silly bastards actually looked proud of themselves.

This time I went around placing my remote charges on key points throughout the structure. They were small and hardly noticeable, but they packed a big punch. I had covered everything I wanted to and still had a few left. I then made my way back to the room I had marked off that contained my mark.

He was still sitting there pouring over information on a vid display. I entered the room with ease. The general noise of the place covered any sounds the door might have made. As I approached him I drew a hooked spike from a slot on my carbine holster. I came to a stop behind him and grabbed a handful of hair with my left hand and plunged the spike into the base of his skull. Instinctively he reached up and grabbed at the hand in his hair, but by that time the spike was in and he was dead. I swirled the spike around a bit just to be certain (and a small part of me likes it) before removing it along with some tissue. I wiped the spike on the back of his coat before placing it back in its spot. A quick search and I had found the disk containing the antivirus my employers wanted. I went through the rest of his desk and belongings and confiscated a lot of documents and more disks which were placed in my bag. Some of it might be worth something to someone else.

Slinging my backpack I made my way back to the entrance. Outside the men were still in perfect formation although some shifted around a bit.

“Alright, here’s the deal. I didn’t like our previous deal so I have persuaded our employer to have contracts for each of us instead of trusting one man to divvy up the payment. These scientist types are real smart, but not smart contract makers. You all will be getting double what you would have with the old deal.” The men cheered a little, uncertain how it would be taken probably. “Now I need you all to go in single file and sign your contracts. If you can read, feel free to look them over yourselves. Go inside, down the hall, left at the intersection then follow that all the way to the end. The room is on the right.” I finished.

The men looked at each other uncertainly.

“Go! Now!” I yelled, pushing the first man I could reach toward the door. The rest followed at that point. “Don’t be all day, we’ve got training to do!”

When the last of them had entered and the door shut behind them, I double-timed it back to my speeder. Once there, I figured it would take them at their pace about ten minutes to get where I had sent them. That time was up. I pulled out the remote, switched it on, and then pressed the button. A low rumble could barely be heard with the explosion being underground, but the concussion from the blast still shook the ground. I put the remote away and sped back toward the outpost.

Guest · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject:

The sun was setting by the time I finished loading my ship. The song of the wildlife was nearing its end and was now at a mighty crescendo as they finished their tribute. I looked down at the outpost, now bathed in twilight. The cantina looked like it was still busy, while everything else began to wind down. I caught sight of a lone figure in composite armor leaning against the galactic banking terminal. He was trying to appear casual, but I could tell he was watching me. I quickly passed over him so I wouldn’t give him away and smiled to myself. This stuff must be hotter than I thought. Probably some competitor corporation looking to cash in and sell the antivirus to my employers for some exorbitant amount of credits.

I reached into a smaller compartment and removed my scanner. I did a full sweep of my ship and grinned when I found what I thought I would. A small remote detonator was discreetly placed just under the ion generator. Opening the engine compartment, I removed the device and looked it over while keeping my back to the man below. It was a high grade, expensive variety not commonly found through the normal black market. This was military grade…and that meant the Empire.
‘Probably would have detonated it once I was a speck in the sky.’ I thought to myself. Looking around, I spotted a beat-up looking single fighter that my gut told me was my hunter’s ship.

A small local transport arrived and landed not far from my ship, but broke the line of sight between the man on the ground and myself. Using the distraction I ran over to his ship and placed the device on his ion generator and then ran back to where I had been by my ship and finished making the last minute exterior checks I had started. By the time the transport unloaded and reloaded I was sitting comfortably in my cockpit. The fellow was still in the same spot. I received my departure clearance and as I ascended through the scattered clouds into the lower atmosphere I picked up a thermal reading from below me and smiled.

Guest · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject:

Talus was just as I remembered it; plain and simple. I have a great appreciation for simple even though most things rarely are. I punched in the security code and the ray shield dropped from the entrance of my home. It was more a mansion really. It was an old imperial facility that was set to be scrapped before I convinced the Empire to let me purchase it. I had spent many leaves here with my wife cleaning the place out and making it look lived in rather than rigid. Passing the large sunken living room I entered the elevator and went down to the lower level.

The lower level consisted of five rooms; one was my bedroom, while two others made up the armory. The largest of the rooms was still setup as a meeting room. I used to meet other commanders there secretly to plan our offensives on the rebel bases of the outer rim planets. Our planning had paid off and through coordinated strikes we had removed twelve small facilities on Tattooine in just a few hours time. The last room was still setup as a makeshift holding cell and I just hadn’t found the time to clean it out and remodel it.

Alright I lied. I have had time, but I just don’t feel like it. I generally try to keep myself away from home as much as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I like my home. It should remind me of good times, but instead it just seems to remind me of my loss. Sometimes late at night while I sleep I can swear I hear her breathing next to me, but then I reach for her and she’s gone again. I’ve left all of her things where they were – not because I think she’s coming back, but because I don’t want to forget what it was like when she was here. So I stay away because it reminds me of loss, but I keep it as it was so it keeps reminding me…kind of self-defeating I know, but I never said I was perfect.

I don’t believe anyone can be perfect – even she wasn’t perfect. I think perfect is more a stage – a period in time in which everything comes together for one moment or period of time. I had my perfect time so I suppose I should count myself among the lucky few.

Entering the armory I placed my bags on the table. Assuming I wouldn’t be going right back out again the armor and weapons would need to be cleaned. A clean weapon is a reliable one. I knew I would be leaving again. My client would want their antivirus delivered as soon as possible and I wanted to drop off the other items to my sources in order to evaluate if they were worth anything.

An hour later I entered my office in a robe, still toweling off my hair and sat at my desk. Opening a drawer I grabbed my voice amplifier and clipped it around my neck making sure the amplifier was properly seated, then made the call.

“I assume it is done?” Answered the voice.

“It is.” I replied. “Your former employee was in a facility of some kind. Mostly scientists and a bunch of untrained guards he picked up somewhere.”

“You have the antivirus?”
“Of course, but there’s something else you should consider.”

“Oh? What is that?” the voice asked in an overly patient tone.

“The scientists in this facility seemed to all be working on code. I think it’s possible and more likely probable that there are other ‘sleepers’ in your competitor’s offices just waiting to unload the same virus if they’ve not done so already. Now that the facility has been destroyed you and your company will be the only ones with the means to stop it.” I finished suggestively.

“Probable you say?” He asked rhetorically. “I wish we had more to go on than just a hunch.”

“While I was downloading the facility schematics I saw databases with names and companies. I didn’t have time to study the information closely, but from what I saw these guys did their homework. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that making your own copies of the antivirus may come in handy. If it turns out I’m wrong then you haven’t lost anything anyway.”

“True, but we’re not paying you extra for a probability.”

“No need. My representative will meet with your courier, give you the antivirus and you transfer the rest of our agreed upon payment. Then our deal is concluded. Consider the information value-added service this time.”

“I thought you people expected money for everything.” He said suspiciously.

“I expect payment for the agreed upon services being rendered. If I had concrete proof to offer you I might negotiate a second arrangement for the information, however since I have no proof to give you I decided to tell you anyway in hopes you will think of me the next time you have something to clean up. It’s just good business.”

“Indeed it is. Rest assured I will keep you at the top of my cleaning list.” He seemed satisfied with my response. “Now, your man will meet the courier in the Cantina at Nym’s stronghold on Lok. The courier will be a human in a black flightsuit. His code phrase is ‘The Gurks lie still at night’ to which he should hear ‘The Snorbals play all day’. You got all that?”

“Yes. He’ll be there in…five hours.” I replied, checking my watch and accounting for time zone changes along the way.

“Very good. I let the courier know to be expecting him then.”

The comm. shut off and I removed the voice amplifier and placed it back in the drawer then went back to my room to get dressed. No client has ever spoken to me in person. We either communicate strictly through a privately secured comm. channel or if I meet anyone I have my armor on. This arrangement makes it feasible for me to go out posing as my own courier to make drops. The truth is that I couldn’t trust anyone to do this for me so this way worked out better. I stomped my boots into place and then grabbed my duster and headed back to the elevator to grab my bags. I had a small blaster and a stun baton hidden under my coat, which thus far was more than was needed, but I never liked to take chances when it came to drops and getting out alive.

Guest · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject:

The cantina was a dim dingy cavernous structure that smelled of stale drinks, bad food, and bad company. As the primary source of light, the bar shone like a beacon through the smoke that hung like fog in the center of the room. The sporadically placed tables and chairs looked worn and dirty even in the darkness. The band was attempting to play some semblance of a popular song in the core system, but it was barely recognizable.

A few of the tables were full of rough men and women playing pazaak or sabaac, while others provided temporary solace to a few emptying out their bank accounts while drowning away their worries. The bar was spotted with every sort from moisture farmers to smugglers and probably a few bounty hunters taking a break from their work. Not my kind of place by choice, but I had grown used to such surroundings.

Stepping to the bar I ordered a glass of wine, a local blend as Nym kept the good stuff to himself, and discreetly looked around the bar until I found what I was looking for. Taking my drink with me I walked casually over that way while pretending to examine the décor. Once I got closer I could make out a blonde head of long hair and a black flight suit. Sitting down across from her I took a sip of my drink and gave her the most insolent grin I could manage. She looked back at me and I could tell she had weighed and measured me down to my boots. I liked her already.

“The Gurks lie still at night.” I said conversationally, taking another sip of my wine. The more I drank the worse it seemed to taste.

She stared back in silence drumming her gloved fingers on the table for a minute before she stopped. “The Snorbals play all day.” She said intently.

I nodded and slowly dipped into my duster to remove the prize. Placing it on the table under my palm, I slid it halfway across. She put her hand on mine in a way that would seem affectionate to anyone that might glance over. I pulled my hand out from under hers and caressed her cheek while she brought her hand back and under the table.

“Nice seeing you.” I finished with a smile. She merely nodded and leaned back in her chair as I turned and walked out.

Once I was seeing star lines again I accessed my dummy bank account to verify the remainder of my payment had been sent. It had of course. These corporations didn’t squabble over credits and would rather pay for services than have the nuisance of someone causing ripples in their operations.

I set down an hour later in the city of Theed on the lush planet of Naboo. I liked Naboo. The landscape alone rivaled any planet I had ever been on and I could get anything I wanted here. The colorful domes and curved architecture mixed with the greenery and waterfalls were breathtaking. Theed had its share of farmers, refugees and middle-class, but high society ruled here. If you had the money and the proper connections, anything could be yours.
Just outside the Star port was the main courtyard, which for all intensive purposes was the largest most upscale bazaar anywhere. Merchants had booths setup everywhere selling just about anything you could imagine. Rugs, clothes, droids, perfumes, food both domestic and exotic. Tourists typically flooded the area and the prices reflected that. The locals knew where to go to buy the same things at their market value.

Imperial troops patrolled the city and kept order. After Coruscant, Naboo was the first planet heavily garrisoned after the fall of the Old Republic so long ago. There were stories and folklore surrounding Naboo’s seemed favor with the Empire. Some said the Emperor liked the planet for its beauty and that’s why he built his own private retreat on it, while others said he represented Naboo back in those days and served the Queens of old. I didn’t much care – Naboo, like much of the known core planets, always was and always would be under Empirical law and that’s just the way it was.

I made my way through the streets and passed the Medical Center. The outside like many of the buildings of the city, were heavily decorated with local flora. Unlike most places I went to, Naboo always smelled fresh and alive. Finally arriving at my destination, I entered the riverfront cantina. The cantina was located next to the Theed River, and like the rest of the city, was decorated brightly and actually smelled nice on the inside. The band was one of the better renowned ones and their music didn’t disappoint. I sat at one of the tables, sipping on an aged Corellian wine, and made a call on my comm.

“Hello?”

“Benix, its Mo.”

“Hey man, how have you been?” Benix asked cheerily.

“Doing well for myself as usual.” I said smiling. “Hey I’ve got something I need you to take a look at. I’m sending it to you now.”

“Alright. Anything you can tell me about it?” He asked all business now.

“Not really other than that everything else in the area where I found it was tech-code based. I have my suspicions, but I need an expert to confirm and provide more detail.” I explained.

“Gotcha. Alright I’ll get working on it and have a report for you tomorrow.” He paused. “Usual fee applies.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t dream of anything less.” I said jovially.

“Yeah well you could start dreaming about something more you know.” He quipped back.

“We’ll see how good it is, then I might tack on a bonus.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” He said happily. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

The comm. was disconnected and I sat back with my wine, closed my eyes, and relaxed for the first time on over a month.

Guest · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:42 pm Post subject:

Several glasses of wine and swoop race bets later my comm. chirped again. I returned to my seat and scanned the area out of habit before answering.

“Yeah?”

“Hey it’s me.” Benix said excitedly. “I don’t know where you got this, but this is the mother load!”

“Calm down Ben, what are you talking about?”

“First of all, your assumptions were correct. The disk contains plans and tests for a virus that attacks code down at a sub-binary level – practically impossible to recover from.” He reported, unsuccessfully hiding his enthusiasm.

“There is a fix I assume?” I asked intrigued.

“There is another sector on the disk than contains the fix for it although it was heavily encrypted.” Ben affirmed. “That isn’t all though. The other data you sent contained account numbers which led me to some ghost accounts registered to people that have long been dead.”

“Probably where all the funding for this went.” I replied. It wasn’t an unusual practice as I had a similar setup to keep my activities from being traced.

“Yeah you’d know more about that than I would, but that isn’t the kicker. The kicker is that that further tracking led me to another account registered to a person. At first when I tried getting more information on this person I reached a dead end at the Imperial Database.”

“So the empire is funding this little venture.” Again, I wasn’t very surprised although what they planned to do with it was a mystery.

“As you can imagine, the database is virtually impenetrable, but I know a guy that used to work for Imperial Intelligence that might be able to help. He’s on his way now.”

“Good, I want to know as much as I can before I make a move on this. Be careful.” I said seriously.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll call you when I have something.” He said, cutting off the transmission.

I sat bleary-eyed in the cantina around noon the next day eating breakfast and mentally beating myself for my overindulgence of wine the night before. The cantina was packed with the lunch-time crowd, mainly contractors and local business owners speckled with a few off-worlders here and there. The band didn’t start until later in the afternoon so the only sounds were of quiet conversation and clinking glass and silverware. The smoke fog was thankfully still in the birthing process and with the front and back doors open a nice cross-breeze brought in the scent of flowers.

I started to think maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad when Benix almost ran an older couple over and tripped down the few stairs to the main sitting area. He quickly regained his feet and ran over to my table and plopped himself into the chair next to me.

“Here, take this.” He said nervously sliding a disk over to me. “It’s everything we were able to find so far.”

“I take it you can’t find anything else?” I asked calmly.

“Let’s just say I’ve gone as far as I’m willing to go with this.” He said darting glances towards both doors.

“You’ve dealt with sensitive data before – what’s got you so spooked now?”

He looked around again before lowering his voice and leaning closer to me. “Remember that friend of mine that came to help with the database access? Well during his exploration of the database he was caught and shut out from the other side. He called it a night and went home, but I’ve not been able to reach him all day.” He paused to look around again. “I can’t stay long; I think I may have been followed…”

“Sith spit!” I hissed, sliding back my chair and getting my things together. “You’re getting sloppy Ben. If you get me caught so help me I’ll…” I left it hanging as I finished throwing some credits on the table for the meal. “Wait here, I’ll go get my things and then get you out of here.”

“Alright but hurry please.” He asked, managing to look scared and ashamed at the same time.

I walked casually out the front and looked around while I walked to my hotel. Running would definitely draw attention I didn’t need or want. I didn’t notice anything other than the usual stormtrooper patrols but they didn’t seem like they were alerted to any disturbance or they would have been doing ID checks. I hoped Ben could keep his nerves in check long enough for me to get back there.

I hadn’t planned on being in Theed much longer so my things were already packed for the most part. I looked out the window to the cantina and saw Ben dash out and run to his speeder. It was an older X34 that miraculously still ran even though he hadn’t had the thing serviced for as long as I’d known him. I guess he couldn’t handle the wait. Turning back to my packing I instinctively fell into a protective crouch as an explosion rocked the area, blowing out the windows in both the cantina and the hotel. I stood and looked back out the window. Ben’s speeder was a flaming husk and stormtroopers had quickly run over to assess the situation. I could see them detaining people nearby and blocking the cantina entrances.

It didn’t take long for me to decide my stay in Theed had reached its end. I ran down the hallways and down the stairs to one of the emergency exits. I didn’t worry much about running since everyone was running. The local area was a scene of chaos as frightened citizens ran in all directions. I followed the flow of people heading for the star port. The lines inside were at a standstill as officers tried to assure everyone that they were in no danger and asked them to remain calm.

Security checkpoints had been quickly erected and were surrounded by full platoons as backup as they aided in checking IDs and scanned baggage for explosives. A few of the guards were scattered among the lines doing quick preliminary checks to make sure everyone had IDs before they wasted their time trying to get to the checkpoint. I pulled my military ID and when the trooper saw it he escorted me to the checkpoint. I was nervous that perhaps someone from the cantina had identified me, but I kept my cool as we reached the checkpoint. He handed my ID to the OIC who looked it over quickly then handed it to me.

“Let him through.” The officer said dismissively as he went back to his scrutiny of those in line.

The soldiers made way for me and I mumbled my thanks as I made my way down the less crowded hallway leading to my landing bay. A Lambda-class shuttle had just arrived in the bay and another squad formed up around a man with the rank markings of an Inquisitor.

Guest · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:44 pm Post subject:

Inquisitor Otto looked around the landing area as he slowly walked down the shuttle ramp into the waiting guard of troopers that were to be his escort. Citizens entered in ones and twos as they cleared the security checkpoint. He was sure they all had something to hide; everyone did these days or so it seemed. He and his entourage made their way down the ramps to the checkpoint. The troops already stationed there quickly shoved people to one side so the Inquisitor and his guard could pass unhindered.

The checkpoint officer had saluted and watched with a wary eye as he had passed. Everyone looked at him warily, but it came with the job. Everyone had something to hide and seeing someone whose sole purpose is to discover those secrets can be unsettling for anyone especially considering the methods used for such discovery.

When they reached the courtyard they boarded a small Imperial transport that would take them to the incident scene. The business people in the bazaar were going about their business with smiles as usual. It would take more than a bomb on the other side of the sector to get them to pack up and leave. Most of those fleeing were probably tourists, thieves and others that were trying to hide from something or someone.

They stopped by the medical center first. He walked around and spoke with a few of the doctors and with several patients. Two citizens near the incident had been killed. The wounded count numbered somewhere around twenty between the cantina and the nearby hotel.

He made his rounds inspecting what was left of the speeder that had exploded and received confirmation that citizen Benix had been killed in the explosion. He smiled to himself as he entered the cantina. He would be able to blame the incident on the rebellion; the local government would have no choice but to accept construction of a full garrison.

One of his investigators looked up from a small table where he’d been questioning the bartender. He made a few last comments and placed an assuring clap on the man’s shoulder before getting up and walking over the meet Otto.

“Report.” Otto said blandly.

“Most people saw nothing of the incident Sir and the ones that might have are dead or aren’t talking. They all saw the man…” He paused checking his notes. “...Benix...come in here in a hurry and speak with a patron for a few minutes. The patron doesn’t like what he hears and leaves. Benix remains for a few minutes, but then bolts to his speeder where it promptly explodes upon ignition.”

“The patron?” Otto asked looking around the bar.

“The patron was said to be someone that frequents the cantina often. Always comes in at the same time, has the same drink, eats the same breakfast, doesn’t make trouble and pays well. Another patron said his name was Mosuger. I have someone checking the database now and comparing the picture on file to the one the sketch artist composed.”

“Well done.”

A low ranking officer entered a short time later and leaned close to the investigator’s ear for a few moments before leaving.

“It seems this Mosuger is a retired Imperial officer, residing in a scrapped project building on the outskirts of our Talus outpost. Shall I alert the outpost and have him detained for questioning?” The investigator asked.

“That won’t be necessary; this needs to be kept quiet Trev. Send a squad to his residence with orders to silence him. This is to be a covert op. I want no one seeing the squad come or go.”

Investigator Trev looked a little baffled, but he always obeyed orders.

“As you wish Sir.” Trev said, making a small bow of the head before leaving.

A simple task, yet the bounty hunter he had hired apparently couldn’t catch this Benix fellow before he made his way all the way into a public area. Thankfully no one had seen the explosives placed or he’d have one more loose end to wrap up.

Mosuger…the name was familiar for some reason, but he couldn’t quite place it. Otto hated to kill loyal servants of the Empire unless of course it would increase his power, but there was the chance this person now had information that could be damaging. Oh well, one less pension to pay.

Guest · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:44 pm Post subject:

The sun was just rising by the time I arrived back on Talus. Not wanting to take any chances, I set down in Daeric, donned my armor, and took a local transport to a small town several thousand meters out from my home. I got out of Theed easily enough, but if I had been identified it was likely the Outpost would be on alert.

I acquired a speeder from the local garage and began the ride home. It wasn’t the first time I had made this ride and I knew where I was going without my map. I came to a stop about a half hour later in front of my house. I hadn’t had the chance to look over the information Ben had dropped off, but I knew the information was worth killing for. I had the equipment necessary to read the data downstairs in my office. I was itching to see what was on the disks he’d given me.

I was half way through entering the security code when I paused. The walkway in front of the door had several light imprints of muddy feet. Trooper-issue boots by the look of the tread. Further inspection showed the same prints on the inside of the ray shield. Damn. Why would they ambush me? They must know I’m retired military, if they wanted to question me why not just tell me? I thought about it a few minutes before the horrible truth dawned on me. They weren’t here to question me at all.

They were inside waiting in the dark for me. They had infrared too. With some planets being virtually dark all the time coupled with all the night ops it was a necessity. I had experience and a lot of war under my belt though and wasn’t about to be ambushed by some second year academy rookies who hadn’t seen more than a cantina scuffle. I fished some chaffe grenades and my lightning cannon from my bag.

I punched in the security code and watched the ray shield drop. Inside the entrance was a wall, with the hallway going inside from both the left and the right. I tossed a chaffe grenade around one corner and then another around the other corner and waited with my rifle. They made almost no sound as they bounced on my carpet, then came the quick ‘boom’ from both of them followed by the frantic chatter of filtered voices.

I ran into a diving roll around the corner and came up to a knee behind a couch. I opened fire in rapid succession, systematically moving around furniture to get the best and quickest shot. Return fire was sporadic since most were effectively blinded. One fool had actually taken his helmet off in the darkness. One of the basic rules taught every trooper is never to remove your helmet during combat. A few moments later the room was quiet other than a few objects falling or still settling and the crackle of the small fires the chaffe grenades had started on my carpet.

I moved about the room in a half crouch keeping a sideways profile, with my rifle still tucked into my shoulder. There were only six up here and a normal operating squad would have been twelve. I moved quickly over to the elevator going to the lower level and setup a razornet trap, then began my systematic check of the top floor. Instinct said they were downstairs, but my training told me to clear your back trail before worrying about moving forward. I had gone through the rooms on the floor and was on my way back down from the rooftop when I heard the screams. I smiled and continued to the doorway looking in on the main area where the skirmish had occurred. Two men writhed on the ground, severed halfway between knee and ankle. Two troopers were trying to address the two injured while another two stood point, one covering each side.

Moving quickly from around the corner I took the first point man in the side, the other in the face as my second shot simmered over the head of the first point mans falling body. Then the two trying to take care of the injured that were now scrambling for their weapons. The two injured men feebly reached for weapons while moaning in pain. I stepped on the hand of the first man and brought the end of my rifle down to rest on the eyepiece of the second mans helmet.

“Who sent you?” I asked in a filtered voice from my own helmet.

“I’d rather die than betray the Empire for the likes of you.” The trooper with the rifle in his eye spat painfully.

I pulled the trigger and then moved the barrel over to the hand I had been standing on.

“How about you soldier? You want to die for the Empire or live to fight another day?”

Silence answered me and after a few seconds the man passed out.

“Good answer.” I said sarcastically.

I removed my helmet and tucked it under and arm. “Lights!”

My place was officially a wreck. I’d clean it all up…eventually. At least the downstairs hadn’t been a warzone. I dressed the wounds of the passed out soldier and then tied him up. I went downstairs and discovered I was only half correct in my thoughts.

The downstairs had been thoroughly trashed. Things were scattered everywhere, the mattress was flipped, the dresser drawers thrown about the room. My computer was still intact, but it was obvious they had hacked into it. They also hadn’t gotten into my armory. Perhaps it would have been better if they had; at least then they may have killed themselves mishandling the weapons.

‘This is turning out to be a great day.’ I thought to myself sardonically.

Guest · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:45 pm Post subject:

I packed the wounded trooper into a local taxi and shipped him off the nearby outpost. I wanted him to get back to whoever his commander was and tell him what happened here. Perhaps that would be enough, but I doubted it. More likely I’d just have the whole barracks emptied at the outpost.

Moving quickly I had gone downstairs to my desk and had begun pouring over the information Ben had delivered. The first thing of note was that the code of this particular virus was such that it would do significant damage to most systems, but it was particularly malicious to the specialized code used by the Empire. That would certainly explain why the Empire would want it so badly, but given the damage this virus could do it didn’t make sense that they only sent a squad for it. I knew the Empire was a bit overconfident in itself at times, but this was a bit more high priority in my opinion.

I moved on to the next bit of information had to do with the Imperial database hacking Ben and his accomplice had done. My eyes widened as I read it. When I was done I dropped switched off the computer and rubbed my chin – a nervous habit I’d developed at some point and until now I had gotten control over. Perhaps I’d never been nervous since then. I was definitely nervous now.

I began thinking about what my options were. I could turn it in at the outpost, but they’d likely shoot me on sight. I’d prefer to get rid of this in a way that didn’t involve my demise.

I could look into selling it to Jabba or Nym, but that wouldn’t really help my situation any. They would resell it and then I’d be missing the only bargaining chip I have. I’m sure either of them would be willing to hide me, but living the remainder of my life as a hermit didn’t appeal to me much.

I could hand it over to the rebels, but the idea just rubbed me the wrong way. I spent too many years killing rebels. If I wasn’t in some rebel wanted database somewhere, there was still the fact that giving this type of information over to the rebels would be treason. Besides, what if they did get it and used it, the Empire would be at a weak point, and if for some reason they got lucky and took over I wasn’t confident they had the manpower, resources, or experience to institute an effective form of government. They were more likely to go back to the useless Senate structure of the Old Republic. Good riddance to that mockery. The rebellion talked a good talk about how the tyranny of the Empire must be stopped, but I have yet to hear any of them propose what they plan on doing should they succeed. It really didn’t matter, they never would succeed.

Despite what they would have people believe, the Empire was law. Never has there been such peace, such low crime, and as an added bonus there are no elected positions and hence a lot less corruption and bribery. Oh it is still there in some areas, but not nearly to the same disgusting level it was before. Everyone had their place and had opportunity for advancement. The Emperor was truly a brilliant man. He knew well the currents of politics and was both intelligent and cunning while being hard when he needed to be. I could give it to him. The more I thought about it the more I realized he was probably the only person I could trust giving the information to. I’d met him a few times in the past during my campaigns and spec-ops missions, but getting to see him wasn’t easy.

Why would an Inquisitor be funding research that would lead to the fall of the Empire? It didn’t make sense. Perhaps he was a rebel in disguise, but it hardly seemed worth going through the rigors to become an Inquisitor just to get that kind of pull. Too many questions now and not enough answers. One thing was clear though; I couldn’t stay here any longer.

I packed all of my personal effects along with as much of my equipment as possible and loaded the AV34 in my garage. It was considerably slower than my speeder but I couldn’t just leave the stuff behind. A steady rain started and thunder rumbled in the distance as I started back toward Daeric.

Guest · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:45 pm Post subject:

“What!?” Otto yelled, slamming his hand on his table. He seethed with anger and Trev could sense it. “How could this possibly happen? I want everything there is about this man.” He finished in a dead calm taking his seat.

“Yes Inquisitor.” Trev responded with a small bow of his head before turning on his heel and leaving the Inquisitor alone with his thoughts.

‘This is dragging on far too long. I have to get that data back…everything relies on it.’ He thought to himself.

* * * * *

Coronet, the crown jewel of Corellia, was probably the busiest city one could ever go to. Its central location made it a prime location for everything from trade, entertainment, crime and prostitution. A hearty mix of cosmopolitan and archaic.

I lay in bed with my hand behind my head staring at the ceiling. Nera emerged from the shower and began drying off. She said something, but I didn’t really notice what it was. She was used to my moods and didn’t really care about them as long as she got paid. I respected that. After our first encounter she had always told me I was her favorite. Normally I wouldn't pay it any mind since she probably says that to a dozen or more in the course of a work week, but she said it was because I was passionate with her. I wouldn’t ruin her high by telling her it was because I pictured my wife. She was useful for more than just sex though. She had several high profile clients and she played liaison when the money was right.

“I need you to arrange a meeting for me.” I said from the bed.

“Who this time?” She asked loudly from the bathroom.

“Captain Thrawn.”

“Never heard of him.” She called back.

“I didn’t think you would have. He isn’t the type to come to places like this, but I’m sure some of your regulars do.”

She poked her head out and looked at me while drying off her hair. I turned my head to look back at her.

“Where?”

“The Keren Hotel. Tomorrow.” I responded.

“Tomorrow?” She asked incredulously.

“Tomorrow; it has to be. Things are moving too fast and if I don’t move with them I’ll get run over.”

She sighed and walked over to her dresser and began sifting for just the right thing as women do. She had a marvelous figure even with the scars from previous encounters and from dealing with those that didn’t ante up when all was said and done.

“It’ll cost extra of course. What makes you think he’ll even come?” She asked, bent forward slipping into the panties she had chosen.

“We went to the Academy together back in the day. Our goals and skills took us down different roads, but we kept in touch for the first few years after we graduated.” That seemed like a lifetime ago already.

She merely nodded and continued dressing. I distantly thought about how it could take so long for a woman to get dressed when it could all be removed so quickly and remembered thinking the same thing on several occasions when my wife had been getting ready.

She eventually was ready and just looked at me for a moment from the doorway.

“You ok?” She asked.

“Yeah.”

She looked at me with clear disbelief. “Alright, well lockup when you leave.” She paused another minute, looking at me with a strange expression, before she finally left.

I eventually got cleaned up and dressed. I walked the city most of the day just lost in thought and not really paying much attention to the weapons dealers, armor crafters, beast trainers – all things I would normally peruse.

By the end of the day I decided I’d spend the night in deep space and sleep in my ship. I’d probably be safer there than most places anyway and at least up there I’d have plenty of warning if something came near me.