Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Next Chapter

Some people search for power, others for money. I find myself again sitting in a dark corner of a nameless cantina in an outlying settlement on Tatooine, trying to figure out what I am searching for. My contact comes in with a thin coat of the planet’s sand on her armor. She scans the room before removing her helmet; smart, very smart but not quite smart enough. As she barked orders for a drink there was a blink of movement behind her, someone had slipped in the cantina behind her. Clearly this Twi’lik was being followed and by the looks of the man, in a bit of danger. I watched her movements with a modicum of curiosity. A Twi’lik is normally of no interest. Usually you find them bending a body wrapped in little clothing to the jeers and gawking of men. However this Twi’lik entered with battle armor on and a curious heavy weapon. The small bandolier of syringes at her hip usually intended for creatures further piqued my interest.

My eyes followed her threat as he circled around the edge of the room. I nodded to the Twi’lik and she smiled, glad to know she had found me finally. She still had not seen the man, nor the human female at the end of the bar getting up to go talk to him. Good, she should provide an adequate distraction so we may complete our business. I kicked a chair away from the table so she could sit as she approached me. I made a motion for her to be quiet as she sat and I pointed to the bench next to me where my crystal snake was curled up.

Her hand went to her mouth in surprise and whispers, “Can I pet him?”

I nodded, “Of course, we have been out in the desert training a bit so he is worn out and sleeping. He enjoys this planet quite a bit. It also seems he enjoys…training as well.”

She chuckled with a knowing smirk, “I got a slice hound not too long ago; he is outside waiting. Although he is a bit young I have been trying to push the training.”

I smiled at her as she took a sip of her drink while my eyes glanced to her pursuer and the young woman who suddenly seemed so interested in him. From his behavior, he is clearly not interested in what she is offering. Like any girl in a far off cantina, she does not seem interested in taking no for an answer.

I slid the package to the Twi’lik as she pulled out her datapad and completed the bank transfer. In turn, my datapad beeped indicated the received funds. Opening the corner of the small package a knowing smirk broke across her face.

“These are hard to find, how did you happen to come across so many?” she asked as her attention barely diverted away from what laid in her hands. With her attention focused on the package I quickly checked on the man that followed her in. Poor amateur is still letting himself be distracted by the little bargirl. With this glance though, I noticed something new about the girl. Her loose pants had slipped down to reveal the hilt of a blade at her hip. Curious, this girl may not be as she appears as well.

My eyes shifted back to my customer and I smiled to her, “Those that find things for me only do so because I respect their anonymity and protect them from certain, Imperial inquiries.”

Her eyes moved up to meet mine at my last comment, “Something told me you were something beyond what your appearance said you were. Your demand of anonymity and location were the first clues. The snake only confirmed it. Those are hard to tame and not loose a limb. In fact I cannot remember the last time I have seen one controlled so well.” Sliding a datachip over she continued, “Contact us, maybe someone in your line of work could be of some use to us, and we pay very well. We are in need of a merchant to take charge of our crafters’ division”

This piqued my interest but I could not stifle the chuckle. I opened my jacket so she could see the thermal grenades and custom DX2. “Do you think I look like a merchant? My leading days are over, and I have always had a bit of a…deficiency in taking orders.”

“Don’t concern yourself with that. Your skills would definitely be of use. Contact us; we have an outpost forming on Naboo. I think you are from there originally. Might be nice to return home no and again?”

“Doing homework on me already?”

“I would be stupid not to follow you out this desolate place without poking around the Imperial databanks a bit. You have quite the curious service record. All those years and only rated a private?”

“I had a run-in with a general awhile back.”

“Is he still alive?”

“For now.”

She smiled and stood up, cradling her package with her arm. My eyes darted to the man who missed the beginning of her egress. I stood up as she did and grabbing her arm pulling her to me. Whispering in her ear I told her of the man and to exit the back way. Without speaking she motioned for her gear and left quickly. The man turned just as she disappeared behind the door. Pushing the barmaid off of his lap he stood and began to run towards in order to follow the Twilik. The poor girl was dazed but got up and motioned to the bartender. He tossed an old EE3 carbine to her and she turn towards the running man. He never saw my foot sticking out to trip him. His momentum sent him sprawling. The bargirl with the old carbine was on him in a flash, its muzzle pointed at the back of his head. By the hair she pulled him up and led him out the back. Curiosity made me follow. As I exited I was greeted by the blinding sun of Tatooine and a cussing girl on her back, bleeding from the temple, throwing the apparently worthless EE3 away. Her mark running as fast as he could, undoubtedly forgetting he had someone to kill and only concerned with his own life. With a click of my tongue and a nod my snake flashed past us towards the man. Thinking his enemy was behind him and unarmed he never looked back to see the threat speeding towards him. Most would not be able to recognize the shimmer across the sand as that of a crystal snake, even in this high light. Turning behind him may not have mattered. In a blink the snake was upon him, sinking his fangs into the fleshy calf of the man causing him to stumble. His scream was muffled by a mouthful of sand.

The girl watched as the snake finished what she could not. I extended a hand to help her up. Her young eyes looked at mine with a mixture of uncertainty and thanks. I reached in my pack and extended a laser carbine I had acquired from a Jabba pirate who disagreed with me a few days ago.

“Take this and forget about that piece of trash in the sand.” She took it as I approached her, our faces inches from one another. She held my gaze with a curious sense of strength and did not back away or cower. I extended my hands to her waist and reached inside her waistband grabbing the hilt of her blade and rotated the scabbard so it would be concealed better. “Carry this here from now on and you will not find yourself flashing your blade in bars anymore.” She did not even flinch at the intrusion. I turned sending a signal with my mouth to my snake to return and leave his catch alone.

“Wait, um, where are you going?”

“Why do you care?”

“I can help you, I am better than this.”

“At what, being a bounty hunter?”

Her face turned angry, “You can teach me and I can help, I will not be in your way.”

My hand went to my pocket and played with the datachip the Twi’lik had given me about her organization, “Hm, perhaps, perhaps you can help. Have you ever traveled to Naboo?”