Chapter 2: The Slingshot
Hyperspace is always a lonely time for a pilot. Not much to do until you entered real-space. I sat in the galley with Ezra, playing a round of Sabacc. She wasn't programmed for games so it wasn't hard at all for me to win. But it passed the time.
"Master Pyndan is not very sociable is he, Captain?" Even Ezra could see that.
"Nope. About as friendly as the sniffer we're hauling. Only he's free to roam." I looked towards his quarters, his door closed and locked. "But this is a milk run. Don't even know why he's here. With the money Kel's paying, I'm not about to run off."
"Humans are very hard to comprehend, sir." I laughed as Ezra's photoreceptors blinked helplessly at me.
"It's part of our charm." I slapped down my cards. Pure Sabacc. I'd won again.
I stood to get some grub from the food processor. Corellian Chowder. My stomach gurgled at thought of the meal as I reached over to pull a spoon out from the utility drawer. The steam rose from the yellowish chowder as my mouth watered. I hadn't eaten in awhile and this was going to be a treat. I reached out to pick up the bowl when the shipped lurched horribly. I stumbled into the wall, spilling chowder all over my shirt. Warning klaxon blared as Ezra slid off her seat onto the floor. I could hear items in closets and compartments fall on the floor.
"What the hell?" I said as I tried to get up in the slippery sauce that covered the floor. Kash's door opened immediately.
"What happening, Starr?" he demanded. I looked up at him from the floor, covered with chowder and shrugged.
"We've come out of lightspeed. It's not my fault!" He ran over to me to pull me out of the soup and we raced to the cockpit. I slapped the siren off as I looked out the viewport. A Corellian Corvette was dangerously close to the ship as small fighters were already racing toward us.
"Pirates."
"Are you sure?" Kash looked at me, his facing suspecting something fraudulent. Sitting in the captain's chair, I powered up the thrusters, doing my best to evade the small crafts barreling down on us. Laser fire shot all around us, a spectacular array of red and green. One rocked the ship again as I looked at Kash.
"I'm pretty sure." I flipped on the shields when Ezra wobbled into sight. "Get down to gunnery and open fire. Let my co-pilot at the controls." Kash stepped aside, letting the droid find her usual spot. "Angle the rear deflector shields."
I spun the ship in a roll firing wildly by remote. A small Z-95 headhunter burst into a flaming ball. We glided along side the massive Corvette, hoping the fighters would shoot at their own. These pirates were prepared.
With a shake, the ship started slowing.
"Sir. They have us in a tractor beam. It is too powerful to break free." An ion charge hit us, causing the lights blinked briefly. Another shot turned the power off completely.
"We have lost all main functions. Back-up power activated. Only systems in working order are life support and internal gravity." I slumped back in the chair as Kash entered the cockpit, looking at the spacecraft surrounding us.
"What now?"
I looked at him in disbelief.
"We give them what they want and hope they don't fry us."
- - -
"Garic Starr!" Laughed the tall and barrel-chested humanoid. He was human looking except his scaled nose, like a lizard, had four spiky plates. "Looks like we got ourselves a celebrity." Kash rolled his eyes at this comment, his face stern. I could only shrug with a grin. It was actually kind of embarrassing.
We were surrounded by at least twenty men of all species. They were armed to the teeth and gills and scales and whatever. Put it this way: they had lots of guns. When they boarded the SlingShot, they strode through the hatch pushing Kash and myself to the main lounge area where they disarmed us. Immediately teams were divided and even now as their leader interrogated us, the pirates were searching my ship of anything of value.
"The great adventurer Garic Starr. Never thought I'd meet you, son. Don't look like the ruthless killer and wild gunman of legend." The marauder stood a foot taller than me and I had to crane my neck to meet his gaze. He smelled of sweat and ale, but his demeanor was professional.
"Well, appearances can be deceiving." I quipped back. I knew we we're in it deep. I tried to keep my composure. The good thing about pirates is that sometimes you can buy your way out of situations. They're always in it for the money.
"They certainly can." He turned to his men. "This is the man that crashed Jabba's big card game. Waltzed in and threatened to kill the fat slug right there on the spot!" His men cheered and laughed.
"Well, it didn't happen exactly that way," I tried to defend myself. "I never threatened Jabba's life." Apparently stories spread quickly. And grow in size twice as fast.
"Well it's a shame you didn't kill that slimy scumbag. But you stood your ground. I respect that." I shrugged again, grinning. "Respect the fact you survived more."
"And you are?" He looked familiar but I couldn't get a name to go with the face.
"Ah yes. Me. I am Tark Mentol. Privateer extrordinaire." He announced with pride. The name hit me right away. Mentol's Patients were a widely known pirating outfit. The corvette must have been his ship. The Asylum.
"Well, now who's the real celebrity? You're more famous than I could ever be." He smiled as he eyed me over.
"Cap'n, come look at this" someone said from behind. The pirate turned toward the cargo bay as I looked toward Kash.
"Got any ideas, now would be the time," I muttered. He stared at me with his blank face.
"You said to let you do all the talking. So talk," He returned his head to face our captors. His eyes not moving, his breathing was slow and easy.
"Should have guessed." I shook my head as I walked toward the rear of the ship to meet the leader. My first step was met with several guns raised to my face. I slowed down, shouting to the hold.
"Hey! That's all the cargo we've got. Running kinda low on this run. Just take her and we'll call it even, kay?" I yelled.
Now Kash looked at me with anger.
"Maybe if you signed some autographs or posed for pictures." I ignored his snide remarks, leveling my hand at him, a gesture to calm down. The key was to get out of this situation with my ship intact. Most pirates either confiscate or destroy the ships they board. I wasn't about to let that happen.
"Interesting cargo, Starr. Bloodsniffers can bring in a large price."
"This is a milk run, Tark. Just delivering to a zoo in the Outer Rim." No need to tell him the truth.
Just then an Aqualish, his ugly tusked face making odd noises, pulled Ezra into the room behind him. He barked gruffly as Tark turned to me.
"Trying to hide something from me? Must me pretty valuable to you." He inspected the droid and folded his arms.
"I did my best captain but they found me." Ezra sounded a little guilty.
"I know you did, Ezra. It's not your fault."
"She'll command a pretty credit, let me tell you. What else is onboard?" A Devaronian stepped out of the crowd. Apparently Mentol's right hand man.
"Just a medical droid in the other room. But he's bolted to the ship. It wouldn't be worth trying to disassemble."
"Very well. String'em." Two men raised their guns as Kash tensed to retaliate. Before a move was made, the guns sprayed us with the laser fire. Blue energy washing over my body.
My last thought lingered as I blacked out.
What a shitty way to go…
- - -
The slap to my face woke me with a start. My eyes felt like they were bulging and I felt a little dizzy. When I jerked my head from the blow, I hit the back of my head against something hard. I heard Kash growl in pain. I tried to move but my arms and legs were tied together. It took a second to realize I was staring at the floor. Which seemed only a few inches above me. Then two grimy boots walked into my vision. I couldn't believe it. I was tied, upside-down to Kash. I looked down, or what should have been down to see Tark's spiked face smiling down at me.
"Starr. I like you. You're a smart-ass with a personality. So I'll let ya keep your ship. And your life." I could feel Kash's hand feverishly working the bindings on our hands. He didn't seem to be making any progress. I wanted to say some choice phrases but decided that really wouldn't help the situation. We we're tied like a chandelier to a coolant pipe. Our feet roped and intricately knotted.
"But your cargo and droid will more than make-up for this little jaunt. Besides, our slicer couldn't break through your security system and that damn droid of yours can't bypass anything. So as professional courtesy, I'm letting you go."
"Tark. You better kill me now. Because I'm going to hunt you down and rip your heart out." Kash spoke calmly. Not like a threat but more as a fact. It made a chill go through me. Hairs on my neck stood on end.
With a swift punch, I could feel Tark connect with Kash's midsection. I winced at the thought but Kash held strong.
"Need to teach your friends some manners, Garic."
"It the blood rushing to his head," I explained, trying to make light of the situation. "Makes him act goofy."
"Always with a joke," laughed Tark. He knelt down to look Kash in the eyes. I twisted my head to see the confrontation. "See, my dear friend. This is why we're letting you live. We could've dumped you into the Last Call like I'm supposed to. Not a pretty way to go."
With a sick gurgle, Kash spit a thick clump of slime directly in Tark's scaly face. Enraged and blinded, Tark wiped the slobber away, kicking Kash in the face. Blood trickled onto the floor from Kash's nose. Our bodies twisted on the rope.
"Set the hyperdrive. Let's get moving!" Tark ordered. The pirates emptied the ship as one ran to the cockpit to make some final adjustments. When the last man exited the hatch, Tark stuck his head in, laughing.
"Ta-ta, boys. It's been fun." The hatched slowly rolled into position as Kash, more violently than before, started working the ropes.
"Rot in hell you bastards!!!" I screamed as I heard the hatch seal. "Damn it!" I let my head fall back and hang there dejected and angry.
"Well I was hoping we'd have time to hangout, Kash."
"Fuck you."
- - -
"This isn't as bad as it looks." I struggled to find any give in the ropes.
"How could this be worse? Explain that to me." His voice was icy, almost dead. Then with a whine I heard the hyperdrive kick in. Like a pendulum, our bodies swayed, turning from the sudden burst of speed. Then I realized what they did.
"It just got worse," my voice was flat.
"What?" Kash twisted around to try and see a threat. We need to get out of these ropes and right now.
"Doc! Doc! You awake? Can you hear me?" I screamed as loud as I could.
"What's wrong, Garic?" Kash asked.
"Doc!" I yelled again. He was our only hope.
"I am activated Captain. How may I assist you?" inquired the dull voice of the medical droid.
"What's the problem, Garic? Tell me!"
"Well, put it this way. With the hyperdrive activated this quickly after they jumped ship can only mean they didn't have time to punch in coordinates." I tried to spin our bodies toward the medical bay so I could get a judge of the distance.
"Stop moving around, Starr. You're not helping," Kash stopped his thrashing as well, resting for a second. "Damn, they tie good knots."
"With no coordinates we could jump anywhere. Hit a star or a blackhole. Who knows what." I could see Doc's skeletal arm move slowly in the other room. "Doc. Get out the laser scalpel, some surgical tape and call the cleaning droid."
"Immediately captain." A series of high pitch sounds came from the droid as a medium sized cleaning droid, basically a self-operating vacuum cleaner, came out from it's holding area.
"What are you up to?" demanded Kash. He seemed agitated that he had lost control. I could tell he would never listen to me again.
"Shut up and stay still. I've got a plan. Just hang tight. We'll be out in no time." By now the blood in my head was causing a dull throbbing. My vision was blurring slightly.
"The supplies you requested are ready sir."
"Good work Doc. Now tape the scalpel, laser blade exposed, to the top of the window attachment on the cleaning droid." With the precision of the surgeon that he was, Doc effortlessly taped the scalpel to the attachment. The cleaning droid had several different appendages used to clean different heights, but the only adjustable limb was the telescopic arm of the window attachment.
"You may not be as stupid as I thought, Starr." I jerked my head back and our skulls collided. Pain shot through my head as I heard an angry hiss from Kash.
"Damn it, Starr!" That'd teach him.
"Is it on tight? Wouldn't want it to fall off, Doc."
"Secure sir."
"Cleaning droid. Could you clean up this blood before it stains."
With a mousy beep the droids small treads whirred to life as solvents and buffers attacked the blood that had dripped from Kash's nose onto the gray metal floor. The attachment, like an antenna, swayed gently. Now came the tricky part.
"Try to avoid hitting the blade with your body. Wouldn't want to cut yourself. But we need to have it hit the rope." With a flurry of wiggles and jerks we tried our best to allow the tiny blade to come in contact with the line. It zipped by, missing by millimeters. Then the droid scooted away to its compartment.
"HEY! Get back here." Angrily I tried to will the droid back.
"What happened?"
"I guess it finished cleaning. Thought its job was done." I shook my head in despair. My head hurt and my vision, while not worsening, was causing me to get a little nauseous.
"Well, get it back here!" Kash ordered.
"We need to make a mess. Uh…uh…" I smiled as the thought formed in my head. "Let's put your talents to use, old buddy." I snorted long and loud. With a sickening HOUCK, I spit a large wad of phlegm onto the newly polished floor. Kash followed my lead. I yelled to the droid who beeped out and it started cleaning the nasty puddle.
With a little practice, Kash discovered that he could control the little droid with his spit, maneuvering the arm near the syntharope.
On one pass it managed to shave some of the outer strands but nothing else.
"Keep spitting. It's working!" I was like a kid in a toy store. The excitement and peculiarity of the situation were getting the best of me.
"I'm starting to run out of spit here, Starr." Another pass caused a deep incision, the rope twirled. We could feel it getting close to snapping.
"Well I guess you shouldn't have used it all on Tark." Now it was his turn to butt his head into mine. Pain flashed as I heard another sputter of spit exit Kash.
The droid paced back and forth madly trying to clean areas that had been clean not moments ago. It zigged and zagged in vain, attempting to do its duty. With a final splat the droid made a pass at the rope.
We fell in a heap onto the cold floor. Our heads managed to avoid injury while the cleaning droid, mission accomplished, hurried away. Together, like a snake, we were able to push ourselves across the floor by kicking our legs in tandem. Soon we were in the medical bay in front of Doc.
"Cut us loose," Kash demanded and the medical droid slashed through our restraints. Within in seconds we were free. I rubbed my raw wrist, looking at Kash who was tending to his nose.
"See. When I talk, people don't kick me in the face." I laughed as I tossed the rope aside and ran to the cockpit.
"Keep talking and I just may prove that theory wrong." Kash warned.
- - -
I pulled back the hyperdrive activators and sat at the navicomputer. This was going to be a mess. The streaking stars returned to the small twinkles of light as I tried to see if I noticed anything vaguely familiar. Nope.
"Any clue where we are?" Kash was still holding his swollen nose as he sat in the co-pilots chair. I rubbed my head and threw up my hands.
"Not a one. I'll let the navicomputer and scanners figure out where we are. Then it's a quick jump to Kamar. Get a message to Kel and explain to him what happened." I adjusted the active sensor array to see if I could pick-up any stray communication signals. Static was all I could get. "Don't worry. It'll all be over soon enough."
"This has just started, Garic. This is just the excuse Kel's been looking for to terminate my contract. Now he'll have free reign over the station. That's not a situation I want to have happen."
"What are you talking about?" I looked at him, confused at the whole situation.
"I work for the Karflo Corporation. They own and maintain the Extan Four outpost. Kel Anaidni has been Baron Administrator for three years. I was supposed to run the space station until the Corporation decided Kel would be better from a public relations point of view. Famous war hero and all. But I was too valuable to the Corporation not to be placed as his supervising director."
"What's your point?"
"I've recently discovered the Kel's been embezzling money from the station. I believe, though I have no proof, he's going to take the money and turn over the station to the Empire. The station is strategically located as a jumpoint to the rest of the galaxy.
"I think he knows I'm on to him. He's always sending me out on these meaningless assignment. With me out of the way, there will be no one to police him. The station will be lost to the Imperials."
"So Kel sees that the ship is sinking and is trying to fill his pockets before the hammer falls, huh?" I started to realize the implications of all this.
Kash, being the company man that his is, was just looking out for the Corporation.
"We're not due back to Extan for a few days." I looked as the navicomputer popped up our coordinates. "Looks like luck is on our side." Kash gave me another blank look.
"Luck's for people who don't know what they're doing."
- - -
I lifted the old mattress of my bunk, pulling out the small flask of whiskey from it's hiding spot. It was rare Niian liquor I had kept for special occasions. I pulled the cork and took a tug. It burned my throat as I swallowed, but it was good. I walked out into the mess hall, sitting at the lone table. Kash wandered in taking the seat across from me, quiet and reserved. I pushed the bottle his way and he nodded his gratitude. Tipping the flask back he winced slightly from the whiskey and smiled lightly.
"We need a game plan, Garic. Where do we start looking for these pirates?"
"I know these guys. I have a feeling they're on Korbin." I pulled out an Ithorian cigar, rolling it between my thumb and forefinger.
"And how did you surmise this?" Kash looked quizzically at me. Pulling out my pocket laser, I lit it the cigar, puffing idly.
"Well, these guys are known to play around Atrig system and the surrounding areas. Usually they hit salvage barges or freighters hauling merchandise. Now the big ugly guy, Tark. He mentioned the Last Call. Right before you hocked a wad on his face." I smiled at the memory. Kash sat motionless, listening to my theory. I shrugged and continued.
"The Last Call is a place on Korbin. Kind of a dumping ground for bodies and such. You'll find Korbin isn't a nice place, but with the murder rate so high, well, they needed a place to put all the corpses. It's a valley full of dead bodies and I'm going to assume they were either on their way to or just leaving Korbin. I think if we poke around, we'll find some answers." I flicked some ashes on the floor as I leaned back in my chair.
Kash sat there in silence, absorbing the information. Then without warning he stood up, walking toward his quarters.
"Sounds feasible. Let's do it." His voice trailed as the door shut behind him. I flicked my cigar again, put it between my teeth, closed my eyes and took a nice flavorful draw. With a whir, I could hear the cleaning droid scooting across the floor. Within seconds it was cleaning up the ashes I had dropped. I felt a something zip past my face and my eyes bolted open.
"Damn it!" I yelled.
I stood there with my cigar in hand. The end neatly clipped off. I had forgotten to remove the laser scalpel from the attachment and the damn thing cut my cigar in half. I tossed the rest of the cigar on the floor and stormed to the cockpit.
"That was my last one too!"