6

All Planets, SFX characters and terms are copyrighted to their respected owners.

The Assault Gunboat is copyrighted to its designer and belongs in its rightful place within the Star Wars universe. Some phrases, comments and quotes are from various artists, and are copyrighted to them.

Kajex Firedrake and all other characters are copyrighted to Elijha Barrientes.

Comments and reviews are welcome here. This is the first chapter of a story that actually concerns my alias, so I encourage a few to read it up a little, at least! *Kajex hopes somebody will…*

Chapter 1; For the Credits…

"You don't get out much, do you? Money is the lube that moves the gears."

                - Dash Rendar, former smuggler for the Rebel Alliance.

Never were there times where credits were never needed. The thoughts of those beautiful, cold wafers, clattering into the paw of the person that owned it… it was a thought that, not only dominated the thoughts of almost all people, but which ironically dominated the way people lived. Anything and everything in life depended on this form of currency…and nowhere more than here.

Certainly, Katina was not much more than a ball of sand floating in space, but the resources, the amount of ore, nova, carbon and nitrogen glass that could be picked up here; these were the qualities that made being a smuggler a fine life. The amount of illegal activities on the planet allowed for any lucky smuggler to pick up a high paying mission for the week. And such activities happened among the plains of this planet.

Across one of these plains of sand there lay a canyon. Peaks rose up from it, making it seem like a spiked crevice, and yet, these peaks were too large to pose a threat to a regular person. It made flying through them in a ship almost impossible.

Yet, even so, there was a ship. A medium freighter obviously modified for smuggling runs and dog-fighting at once, it quickly darted through the rising pillars that filled the canyon, as if they were the least dangerous parts of life. Taking its time leisurely, it finally broke off and began crossing the desert dunes at an incredible speed. Within only a minute, the canyon was kilometers behind.

Inside the ship, in the cockpit, sat a black jaguar.

The figure lay sprawled, having taken satisfaction in the runs he had made in the canyons. Autopilot being set, getting to where he needed would simply be a matter of waiting until he got there. He looked out upon the rolling plains, stroking a white-painted tattoo on his forearm. One would think this mark had been made using the regular assortment of ink and laser, yet those who knew him, the very few who knew Kajex Firedrake, would know otherwise, that these mark's origins dated to his own birth.

He sighed, completely bored now. The canyon run had been entertaining, for a while, until he had to leave, pressed for time. The usual cargo consisted of an illegal amount of illegally mined resources, to be delivered as soon as possible. No more fun parts would come until he got to the city's checks and customs port. There, he would be able to land and deliver.

The dealer had been shady, calling himself Tarry and nothing more, which hadn't mattered to Kajex- he had dealt with such people whom never identified themselves clearly, which was something else Kajex never minded. People who remained anonymous were those who were never to be found out about. When it was his business to find out, he would find out for himself, but if it wasn't necessary, then screw them; they could be mysterious if they wanted. It didn't matter much to him, since, sooner or later the whole world would know, simply due to their crimes. And if they were caught, well, again; Kajex didn't care.

But this meant that discretion would be required for the credits that were coming his way. Therefore his caution would serve him well in this mission, as well as some fancy flying, and luck. These elements, added with the ability to not care about anybody else, made the perfect smuggler. This, and that one's self could not be well known. Should anybody know too much about him, his own safety would be compromised.

A herd of wild herbivores ran as his ship swept the dust around it, one of the beasts in fact being hurled into the air from the force of the ship's velocity. The Arachnid, his own customized Assault Gunboat, was a force to be reckoned with. The sturdy hull of the vessel had been patched up tighter with more plates of steel. The speed of it was twice that of a ship of the same type. The launchers were replaced by four more laser cannons, as their presence had been deemed not required, and were the clips and missile holds would be, there was, instead, a cargo storage.

As this five-winged vessel sped through the heat, Kajex pressed a few of the consoles switches and moved backwards, getting out of his seat. He got behind the pilot's seat and reached for a bottle of vile liquid, taking a large swig of it as soon as it was open. He sighed, looked around the ships controls. There were no signs of inspection crafts anywhere. Scanners that powerful, mounted on such craft, would discover his…

… Undeserved and illegal manifest…

There had only been one time where he had been caught with such cargo, but his escape had left officials puzzled and his employer very pleased. Someone as young as him outwitting older, professional trackers and hunters, taking out several of the employer's enemies and finally delivering the goods in record time and in perfect condition, had left a good impression and rumor about him. He did most his jobs within the Lylat system, occasionally going to other planets, even going so far as to Corellia, where he had gotten his ship upgraded for the better. But mostly it was here, in the Lylat system, that he did such jobs.

After some time of reflection of himself, his attention was drawn towards the radar; a dozen or so blips had entered the screen. He turned to his seat and strapped himself back in, securing a headset as well. Within a few seconds of putting this particular item on, a voice rang into his ears.

"This is fighter group Mellow, to star fighter Arachnid; I presume you are ready, Firedrake?"

"I'm here with your cargo," Kajex snapped, impatience evident. "Don't you think I'm ready? Get this going, I'm anxious to get out of here and get paid."

"I copy, Firedrake. If you're ready, we are, as well. Expect a fifteen-minute wait when you get there. Over and out."

Kajex sighed. He had a bad feeling about the deal already. There had been hesitation on the job, due to the amount of credits. Kajex had been looking hard to find a decent job to take on, but the only one available had been from an unnamed individual, and the job wouldn't be paying anywhere near what Kajex would expect. Thus, he had turned it down, until his own money had gone down to only a few credits left, and had forced the feline to take it on, despite the low amount of credits. Not his first choice, he knew, but it was the only one he could make.

A steep cliff came ahead. When he had cleared it, a large spaceport custom's-check burst clear into view, a giant silver disk in the midst of a green oasis and surrounded by an incredible amount of transports. Thousands of ships were moving slowly along, some burning in the heat of the day from lack of movement. On the ground, such overheated vehicles lay, technicians and repair 'droids scurrying around to fix up the messes on the desert floor. A few of the still-hovering vessels, saucer shaped ships, moved around the crowd, slowly inspecting the ships and the cargo they held.

Kajex approached this field slowly, doing well not to attract attention towards him. His ship, though perhaps overloaded with weapons, was not out of the norm for ships in general. Many outfitted their craft with some defensive system. It was what the craft was carrying that worried everybody else…

He stopped behind a large cargo-block hauler. The craft, not much more than a pair of engines, lasers, and a cockpit, carried three large containers in a triangular style. He kept far enough keeping from taking on engine wash, yet close enough so that he could be as near to the front of the assembly of the transports as possible, allowing for a quick escape.

A few of the saucer like ships buzzed around his ship, not inspecting his craft at the moment, giving a good sign. He was in the middle of the traffic, and that was the least noticeable spot of the whole place. When he would be inspected, they would let him know about it.

In the meantime, he set up a communications channel. "You have ten minutes, you all. I'm blowing this place with or without you."

"We'll be there, Firedrake- trust us."

The bloody hell I will… Kajex thought sullenly to himself. He was never one to bank on other people. A few of the transports around him began to go, and Kajex moved onto the side. On his right, the hauler took place. To his left, he found himself staring up into a window of another transport. From it, a small gray kitten, possibly no more than 8 years of age, peeked down at him and waved in a friendly manner.

Kajex blinked for a moment, then found himself smiling back at him and waving also. There were many things in life he did not like, but children were not one of them. He returned his view in front of him.

Minutes passed. The custom point's population began to thicken slowly. The heat of the day was starting to get to Kajex after a while. It was close to time when a saucer came up to him. "Good day, sir, how are you doing today?"

"Not bad," Kajex answered, looking around, wondering where in the hell the team was at. It would not be a good idea to be scanned before he had a chance to get out of there.

"Your vessel seems to be in good order. You pass underneath the max for the amount of weaponry you can have. Interesting design, I might add."

Kajex nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Well. Shall we get you scanned, then?"

"Actually, I'm not in any hurry," Kajex said, grinning as he noticed the blips he had seen before were now present again. "If you want you can scan another ship." Unfortunately, Kajex noticed that he let something slip in the voice there seemed to be a tinge of anxiousness in his voice.

It was this tinge that the pilot of the saucer craft notice. "Is that so… well, you must not be ahead of schedule, if it seems not to bother you. Yet even so, I'm certain leaving here wouldn't be a bad idea… wouldn't you say?"

Kajex calmed down, but before he could say anything, he noticed a small red flash on his console- he was in a missile lock. He turned this to a surprising yell. "What the!? I've got a lock on me!"

The pilot of the saucer craft paused, then noticed Kajex's ship was beginning to move. "Wha- Hey! There's no lock on your-"

He was cut off. In only half a second, Kajex was off like a bolt, trying to gain as much speed as he could. He fired two sets of flares. The first smacked into the saucer craft, only damaging it slightly, and the other went with a flash, slamming into an incoming missile. The Arachnid darted through the traffic in moments.

When this half-second was over, pandemonium ensued. Several ships sped up and collided with others, and still more panicked and went around the scene, trying to escape. A group of small starfighters sped into the scene, firing wildly into the traffic and hitting nothing. This did not do anything to calm the custom's security, which went immediately to engage this new threat. While this happen, Kajex zoomed through the traffic. Already, transports were beginning to move around, and this made maneuvering difficult.

He put his throttle to full, expecting the worse and coming face to face with it. The panicking ships were looming into his flight path, creating a hazardous zone for flying. Kajex looked behind to see a stray fighter following him, trying to get another missile lock. While the Arachnid was fast, there were still some that could match to its speed. This ship was one perfect example, and within second Kajex was in another missile lock.

The missile was let loose. Kajex let out a curse, seeing the warhead behind him and the chaos before him. He redirected laser energy and lurched forward. Gracefully, he sped around the containers, past cargo haulers and zooming into every passable entrance and exits the ships made. The missile still followed. Kajex's flare magazine was completely empty, and all he could rely on was his flying skill.

Ahead of him, a cargo-block hauler similar to the one he had seen earlier flew into view. There was a space between the engines and cargo blocks, barely enough for his ship to pass through. He made a quick decision and prayed it would work.

He swung left, making for this side of the hauler. The missile, locked-on completely, followed suite, tracking his movement carefully. It was not far behind. Kajex looked back one last time and then turned to the right again, putting all his ship's energy to the engines and speeding greatly towards the small opening the cargo haulers. The missile tracked this movement as well, and Kajex braced himself.

The ship fit neatly into the opening, but at an angle, forcing Kajex to turn a bit sharply. He made it into the gap, and the missile, unable to follow into the gap, slammed instead into the cargo hauler. The ship lurched to the right, surprising Kajex, and before he could clear the small tunnel, his left wing scraped against the cargo hauler's container, and was crushed badly.

Kajex glared at the damage done by the hauler, safe though he was from any more attacks. The fighter had ceased to follow Kajex and was rejoining group, harassing the transports behind. Kajex noted this also, with a great amount of anger.

None of this was supposed to happen.

It was some time later, about an hour, when Kajex reached the starport, when Kajex was able to relax. There were no indications of being scanned at all, and if he had been, then his ship would have either been prohibited from entering the hangar bays or expected with a welcoming committee of a police force, intended on bring him down. These fears were logical, of course, but logic was never something anybody followed, Kajex knew.

Still, none of these happened, and, in fact, his docking bay had been figured out ahead of time, so that he was able to land without any of the hassles of waiting and wondering what to do while he did. He was already angry enough o have to do so, and was anxious to get the transaction done and over with, as well as say his piece and sticking to it. He reached the hangar bay quickly, and noted with dismay that there was a welcoming committee indeed- yet, instead of a group of fighters, a groups of people in ragtag uniforms stood silently, waiting for Kajex to land.

When he had done so, two of these men came forward with hovering platforms in hand. Kajex emerged from the cockpit and waved the men down, waiting until he had leapt from the hatch and inspected the two for them to continue. They opened the hatch and immediately set to work putting them on the scooters. He looked toward the men in front of him. There were two tigers, both unrelated, a parrot with a colored beak, a big, hulking lizard and, among them all, a small mouse with long hair.

This mouse walked forward to Kajex, grinning ear to ear. When he spoke, it was with an unusual accent, and the voice was somewhat high-pitched. "I see you have brought the cargo intact. I am pleased." He stroked one of the boxes containing the ore. "You have done well, Capt. Firedrake. You will be most pleased with our reward, I think."

"Not fucking likely!" Kajex snarled at once. "I'm not pleased at all of your performance so far, Tarry! What the hell was up with pointing a missile at my tailpipe, huh?! I don't think you'll gain any respect if your own employees are among the ones you harm! And what' up with firing on innocents!? I specifically said that I'd do this only if you didn't fire on civilians!"

Tarry frowned. "I am very sorry… I see you are not pleased. Why do you yell at us, when it is a good job you have done? You whine like an injured dog, you do, but you are not harmed. I wish very much to know your troubles. You will take a seat with us in the bar, yes? I shall pay for drinks, dear boy," the mouse offered, extending a claw.

Kajex smacked it away in anger. "Keep your damn credits until you put it in my pocket at your place, you rotten little ingrate." He began to walk away, but before he could move a step, the sound of a loaded weapon sounded. The feline's left eye twitched a little, as he knew he had made a mistake. This sound was never good, if it wasn't coming from him.

The mouse's voice was small, and yet it held a mocking sense of sadness. "Aww… but I insist, Mr. Firedrake, that you sit down and speak with me on why you are unhappy. You will come, yes? I think it would be more healthy for you, yes?"

Kajex turned on his heel, noting that all of the men in the room besides himself and Tarry were brandishing pistols of different makes and styles. The lizard, for one, held an automatic rifle in his claws. Kajex's own weapon was inside his ship. His plan was not to offend anybody too much and leave without such a showdown. The only other weapon he had with him was a blade strapped to his back, a sword just over normal length. What good it would do against four or five blaster-wielding mercenaries wasn't even worth thinking about. It would be best to play Under-The-Gun for now.

Kajex sighed, throwing his paws up in the air in resignation, but adding a sheepish smile with it. "Hey, you know what, on the other paw, I could really use a drink. It gets pretty darn hot out in the customs point, y'know!"

The mouse grinned his same grin once more. "You are agreeing with me then, yes? Then you will follow me. It is very hot out today, do you not agree with me?"

Kajex nodded, moving into the middle of the group. The lizard held the rifle in an angle pointing to his head, keeping it concealed inside a trench coat, while the two tigers kept their blasters in their holsters. Tarry kept a speedy pace in front of them, exiting the hangar bay. Kajex tried to look unconcerned and found himself doing quite well despite the circumstances. His current captors, however, seemed to be anxious, looking around for any security guards. They seemed to be very cautious, and it was a wonder that nobody around them was able to figure out, from their movements and expressions, that something about them wasn't right. Yet even so, not one person even glanced at them, and this was what made Kajex worry most. He briefly wondered how long it would take people to notice if he were shot right on the spot and killed in broad daylight I front of them, then refrained on thinking about it, since merely thinking of it might make it well come true.

They made for the bar quickly, Tarry leading the way and leaping up into a seat. Kajex felt the nudge of a blaster rifle on his back and the jaguar slid into the seat opposite the mouse. The others took a casual glance around and seated themselves on either side of the feline. Tarry grinned at Kajex, who sighed.

"Is there something you'd like to have, Mr. Firedrake?"

Kajex looked around for a moment, surveying the dark interior of the bar. For many, it would be hard to see, but as a jaguar, Kajex had been endowed with night vision, able to see clearly into the night. As it was, this wasn't necessary, because what Kajex was looking for could not be found. There were no security guards on duty, and those that were present at the bar were off duty, gambling and drinking their breaks away, some doing one or the other (or both) rather noisily. Help would be very hard to come by on this one, and banking on it was not a wise idea at the moment. Kajex didn't trust any type of security, but in situations like these, he would bank on them in some way or another. Now was not the time, though.

For now, a drink would be the only thing he could get. "A White Christmas, on the rocks," he responded quietly. Tarry tapped this into a keyboard on the table, and the machine within it whirred as it began to mix their drinks. While they waited, Tarry spoke.

"Now… tell me why you are not happy, Mr. Firedrake. You seem very much upset about something. What might it be?"

Kajex sighed, irritated by the mouse's way of speaking. "I'll tell you," he said, looking the mouse straight in the eye. "When I agreed to take on this mission, our deal was that others not be harmed in the process. I knew there would be some pandemonium when your men attacked the crowd and me, and I knew people might get hurt. But as I was leaving the scene, I noticed your boys had taken down two freighters and a family transport." His voice went to a fierce whisper. "Now let me ask you something; what the hell were you thinking!?"

Tarry laughed, a high-pitched, eerie giggle that made Kajex shudder in disgust. "Is this it, Mr. Firedrake? You are wondering why people get hurt in the business? It is not uncommon- many people get hurt in our business. It helped you out, did it not? We had to take down at least a few of the freighters to make it seem like a real attack on the civilians there, yes? If you ran my company, I know you would agree with me, yes…"

Kajex shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. I take on jobs that keep everybody out of harm's way."

"And yet you are not averse to killing people that are wanted Dead or Alive, yes? I know well of your trade, Mr. Firedrake, as well as what you've done. You've killed quite a few people, yes? Do not try to lie, my dear friend, for I know much about you. Why is it that you kill people, yet do not encourage it?"

"I give people what they want for the credits only. I don't care what a person has done, only that they are brought to justice and I'm paid at the same time. There's a difference. I hunt…. but I don't murder."

There was a pause, and Tarry remained silent when the drinks appeared before them. Kajex took his own cup, sipping at it and daring Tarry to tell him he was wrong. The others that were present had their blasters drawn, pointed at the jaguar's crotch, in case the feline decided to make a smart move. Tarry's eye twitched when Kajex finished, for Kajex had, in a sense, given him and his business a bad name.

"You should take that back… yes?"

Kajex smirked. "That's another thing that makes us different- I don't lie." He took another sip at his drink and smirked again. He stretched out, putting his paws behind his head and leaning backwards. "So," he started. "I think a little bonus is in order. I certainly don't remember my tail being a target, and perhaps you can also have repairs done to my ship's left wing. It should cost a lot, but hey; it's credits coming from your pocket, not mine. So, see what you can get done then, eh?"

"You ask much of me," Tarry said slowly. "I can only give you the credits. A good job you have done, have brought my resources safely, ye… but your insults aren't taken lightly, Mr. Firedrake. And you have insulted us already more than once. It would be wise not to do so anymore."

"Perhaps you're right," Kajex said. "But I remember you said that I would be happy with the reward you'd give me. I'm not happy with the credits you're going to give me. So make me happy by repairing my ships and," he added, emphasizing with a finger, "that you never employ into your services again."

Tarry laughed. "I'm sorry, my friend; but those who wish to leave can only do so in one way; death." He signaled to his henchmen, and the two nearest to him got up, blasters drawn.

Kajex was quick on the button. Wit the glass still in his paw he tossed the contents on it onto the tiger on his right. The overly icy drink was tolerable on the tongue and throat, but on the face it was hell. The tiger screamed in pain, falling backward onto the large lizard and letting a bolt go off instantly.

The other tiger, this one a female, rushed forward and fired a lot, narrowly missing Kajex's temple. At the last second Kajex ducked and extracted his sword, slashing at the arm that held the weapon and making a thin slit down the tiger's arm. Her own scream mixed with the male's howl and she bent over, sobbing in pain.

This would have been it, but the large lizard remained, having pushed aside the male tiger. The parrot also remained, his own blaster having been fumbled for. Kajex thought quickly and reached down, grabbing the female tiger by the throat and putting the sword to her neck. Tears were running down her eyes as she was taken hostage and with these droplets of water, pure fear also came with it.

Kajex glared at Tarry. "The life of this girl may mean something to one of you. I don't want to do this, but already even she has been a threat to my life, and if I have to take you one by one to make sure I live long enough, I will- starting with her." He glared at each one of them silently.

Tarry looked in surprised at these new circumstances. The male tiger, his own pain having gone away for now, looked on in wonder and terror at what might happen. The parrot said nothing, but looked edgy and unsure. The lizard's face was unreadable, but his tail did sweep across the floor excitedly.

The proceedings in the bar seemed to go unnoticed by many. To them, it was a normal part of life in such a place. Little could be done, and those that intervened met not-so-good fates. The off-duty security seemed not to notice, (or care, but either way, nothing had been done).

Tarry began to laugh again, shaking his head. "I see now that Kajex is well trained, yes? Knows how to use a sword, he does. Has taken one of my best mercenaries hostage, he has. And you will kill us one by one, you say. This I believe, yes. I would not want to be responsible for this, oh no, not at all, no. And all you wish for is a deal, yes?"

Kajex nodded. "You fix my ship, give me my credits, and we both get something out of it. Agreed?"

Tarry laughed again. "Yes… good choice, I see now. Yes. But now, I have another job for you. Good job, yes, one with many people in it. Perhaps Mr. Firedrake would like to join, yes? It would be up his ally, it would. What say you?"

Kajex was about to say he'd rather eat dung and die, but the retort was perhaps a bit too extreme for him. Besides, he couldn't really fly anywhere with a damaged wing, and to do so would be unnecessarily risky for him. The best he could do was earn credits where he was.

"All right, then…" Kajex let the female tiger go, who whimpered in pain and looked up at him with sad eyes that almost touched the jaguar… almost. He turned away and sat back down, going back to his relaxed style.

"So… what did you have in mind?"