Prologue: What was he to do?

The stalker had been following me (for the most part) the whole way "home". Of course the stolen Hovercraft and hacked credit-chit would not have been a common homestead for a person. But I'm not a common person. Programmer. Hacker. Professional rotten guy in general.

My previous actions may have brought more attention to myself than I needed. I stole, cheated and lied to the Hutt overlord Jabba and murdered my way out of a holding pin. Not one of the smartest things I could have done.

I turn down a busy street, avoiding leading the mystery man to my hideaway.

I got a glance of him as I looked into a nearby window front. A Duro. Red Eyes. Blue Skin. Never saw him in my life. More than likely he was a Bounty Hunter. Surely the act that of setting a Bounty on my head would be a waste of time for someone in my lesser stature . . . wouldn't it?

My thoughts of nostalgic occasions are intruded by a light, triple tap on my coat rim. I turned and froze. The eyes that meet mine were hungry. I had only seen that expression on a feral animal before. He tipped his ostentatious cowboy hat. "Hello there, Sonny."

My mind went numb. "Why don't you come with me." That wasn't a question. The bounty hunter grasped my collar with a tugging force. He pulled me into a dark ally, littered with junk and garbage alike. I was tossed against a nearby wall.

"Hey! What the hell Man!" I gathered myself for the dirt, attempting to brush off the debris. "You got a problem?"

He scoffed. "Ha. Not really, but," The Hunter pulled out a golden hand blaster ", I here you do." The twin of the same weapon was drawn out into the open, pointing at me. Now I got it! The stupid slug had set a bounty. My first guess had been right. "Why don't we make this civil, shall we?"

"Huh. So that good for nothing piece of fat in his palace was to important to talk to me personally? Sent a lone Bounty Hunter? Figures." I attempted to wipe out my own pistol.

That didn't turn out so well.

My left hand bled from a hole in my palm, burnt and painful. I busted into a defeated growl mixed with a yelp. "AHH! You Sana'va BITCH!" my body fell onto my knees. Wind fluttered into the ally, fluttering the Bounty Hunter's Coat and my hair.

"Not wise, Boy." He spoke as he walked over to me. "I need you alive, not my way I like things, but the Hutt wants you to pay for your regressions . . . slowly."

"I *Cough* Don't go down easily." As soon as he was in range I kicked out and landed my foot onto his chest. He got kicked against one of the buildings. I sprang to my feet and sprinted towards the glowing street. Freedom was in reach, or at least an escape. My hopes were broken by a sudden tightness around my legs and ankles. I found my face meeting the ground at max ferocity. I groaned. "Damn!"

"You think you really can get away?" My pony tail was back with a powerful rip. I stared into the devil's eyes with a grimace. A spark crack echoed in my head. Only after a couple of seconds did I realize that I had been punched straight on the nose. I yelled in pain. "Oh come now. Be a man!" Another blow had broken my nose.

I coughed as blood from my newly injured nose leaked into my throat. "B-bastard!"

"I did mention that you could do this the easy way." His Boot stopped on my back. "Now don't move and at least pretend to be civil."

"Yeah right!" I wriggled under his foot's pressure. My squirming ceased as a taser reached to my throat. Military grade. Hell of a ticker that one was. I couldn't move for several minutes. While I lay immobilized the Bounty Hunter made several calls on his personal communicator. One to his helper, a man named Todo? Next was a possible contact with one of Jabba's agents, if not the slug himself. " Roger, just remember that this Job does not come free!" He growled to himself as he broke connections with the caller. Something about a waste of time. Time was a luxury anyone had these days. He glanced down at me. "let's go take out the trash."