Chapter 1
The night felt cold on Craddosk's reptilian scales. At temperatures like these, he often felt himself slowing down, and found it hard to breathe, to operate. He took a deep breath, and felt the cold air seep into his almost warm lungs.
He turned his bodysuit's thermal heaters up, and started down a steep hill towards the prison base below. The claws on his scaly feet served him some traction on the jagged, twisting path.
His target was a former space pirate and smuggler, a hefty alien called Dexter Jettster. He knew that this job would not be easy, but Craddosk was not one to back down when the mission became dangerous. Behind Craddosk came IG- 62, a lethal and deadly renegade assassin droid whom Craddosk had befriended -or rather, struck a deal with- on Malastare. Although the droid often got on Craddosk's nerves, the young Trandoshan was fortunate to have a being with such renowned skill on his side.
As they neared the bottom of the steep path, the two encountered a large boulder blocking their path.
"Think you can climb over that?" asked Craddosk, placing his hands on his hips.
The highly advanced droid took a brief second to analyze the situation. "Not a problem," it replied. " I have a solution."
"Yeah?" He said. "What's that?"
The Trandoshan's eyes widened in terror as IG- 62 ignited and dropped a small thermal detonator near the boulder.
"No!" cried Craddosk, and kicked the bomb into a deep crater flanking the narrow path before jumping to the ground. From the direction of the pit came a small concussive blast. IG-72 whirred and clicked in disapproval.
"No bombs! No explosions! No" – Craddosk lowered his voice- "Noise!"
The Trandoshan tossed a grappling hook over the large boulder in front of him, and offered the droid the trailing line. "Do you remember the briefing?"
IG- 62 ignored him, took the cable, and instead began his clumsy ascension of the large boulder in front of him.
Craddosk gnashed his teeth, barely containing his furious temper, and began the climb as well. "We have to work together, you idiot."
IG- 62, now over the boulder, answered. "I work by myself. You are merely a helpful hand in my business."
The Trandoshan sniffed disdainfully. "Then you had better watch your back."
IG- 62 gave a slight nod of his mechanical head.
Craddosk nodded as well. Now at the bottom of the hill, words aside, he concentrated on penetrating the gigantic fortress in front of him.
While flying overhead, he had noticed a small flaw in the prison's security; from the base's main hub ran an opaque tube made of glass that wound to the main docking bay outside the crater. Located on the sides of the tube were emergency escape locks. However, because light could not reach the places were some of the emergency exits were located, those places were monitored by heat sensors. Craddosk figured that since he was from a cold-blooded species, he could merely adapt his blood pressure and simulate the air around him, while IG- 62, being a droid, had no warm temperature at all. It was a brilliant plan, and could be put into action; if only they could get past the spotlights and snooping guards.
"You ready?" he said, tightening his muscles.
IG- 62 turned on his auto-targeting rifle. "Yes, but the rocks."
Craddosk turned a confused glance —at least, as confused a look as his inarticulate face would allow— upon his partner. "What?"
IG- 62 emitted a line of static, then repeated his observation. "The rocks."
Craddosk sighed at the robot's response. "I know that. What about them?"
Another line of static from IG- 62, and a garbled response. "I don't figure the reason behind your dialogue. Do you suggest I evaluate my plans?"
"Yeah, that's it… evaluate." Craddosk was still slightly confused.
IG- 62 made a rigid gesture towards the many boulders surrounding the prison base. "We might find sufficient cover behind these boulders."
"Good Idea," Craddosk muttered. "Let's go for it."
They waited a couple minutes for the spotlights to loosen, then Craddosk jumped behind a small boulder. The spotlights glanced across his hiding place, and then he rolled to another. Silently, he motioned IG- 62 to follow him. The droid moved swiftly behind a boulder, then waited to follow the Trandoshan bounty hunter. Craddosk dived to another, IG- 62 followed suit. Slowly, they advanced across the dusty plain, until they ran into a problem.
"The boulders are gone!" Craddosk exclaimed.
" 'They are gone'? You suggest they have ceased, correct?" IG-62 inquired mechanically.
"Yes. They stop… er… cease as we come closer to the tube." Craddosk stumbled with his dialogue, trying to mechanically communicate to the droid. "I'm going to have to make a run for it."
"Very well;, do as you please. I'm adaptable."
Craddosk inhaled and started off, his twin hearts beating rapidly. With incredible speed, his muscular legs pumping up and down, he expertly weaved in and out of the spotlights, dodging behind the many boulders that dotted the landscape and at the same time avoiding the snooping guard droid's sensors.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw that IG- 62 had activated his anti-grav repulsorlifts for a speedier trip across the landscape. It also left him invulnerable to the debris on the ground.
The reptile nodded with approval before reaching the tube.
"Nice work," panted Craddosk, gasping. "That went well."
A moment passed while they caught their breath; then came the tough part.
"We made it!" he sighed in relief, just know realizing what had happened.
"Yes," IG- 62 said mechanically. "Except for them,"
"How...?" Craddosk's breath caught in his dry throat as he realized the meaning behind IG- 62's statement.
Coming over the landscape was a fleet of shining, heavily armed guard droids; their electronic gazes focused on Craddosk and his partner.
"Halt!" The lead guard said across the landscape in an electronic voice. IG- 62 and Craddosk answered with a line of blaster fire, knocking the lead droid's right arm off. The action stunned the guard for a moment.
"Go Go Go!" Shouted Craddosk, shoving his partner towards the nearest door. "Blast it open!"
By this time the fleet had backed their captain up, and had begun blasting with deadly accuracy. Craddosk answered with a string of blaster fire himself.
"What about the plans?" asked IG- 62, hesitating for a moment.
"Who cares about the plans?" yelled Craddosk, dodging a blaster bolt. "Our cover's blown anyway! Blast it open!"
IG- 62 shrugged, then raised his gun and pulled the trigger.
Sirens immediately went off all around the complex as the two bounty hunters backed their way into the makeshift entrance. "Close it off!" yelled Craddosk.
"Very well." IG- 62 dropped a grenade at the tunnel entrance. "We'd better run."
"Oh no-" Craddosk was cut off by IG- 62 pulling him down the tunnel, a decent 100 feet, before jumping on the floor.
"Cover your head," IG- 62 said calmly. Craddosk gritted his teeth, and braced for the imminent explosion.
The explosion rocked the entire compound, throwing most of the guards off their robotic feet.
Craddosk's eyes blinked open. He coughed painfully and looked up through the dim lights overhead.
Then wished he hadn't.
4 days ago…
He sat with the air of a man superior to others around him. His hair, tied up in a tight ponytail on his head, revealed also his demeaning confidence. Right now his high forehead was in a wrinkled state; his hands were held up in front of his face in a rigid cage.
In front of him stood a slightly less imposing figure; clad merely in a simple, tight black jumpsuit,
He only seemed dangerous to those who knew of his ruthless reputation. Right now, this man kneeled to the person in front of him.
"Why is it, my dear Djas Phur," said the higher man, seated in a chair with it's back turned to the simpler man, "that every time I assign you to these sorts of missions, you come back with negative results?"
"I'm sorry, Lord Xixor," said Djas Phur, his head still bowed. "I will do better next time. I did not mean to fail you. "
"And yet you did!" said Lord Xixor, prince of the Falleen, turning his chair away from the window. "And there may not be a next time for you!" Xixor rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his arm resting on the side of his throne. "But you lucky scum. You may have the chance to repay for your failure. I have a mission for you."
Djas Phur lifted his head, a look of confusion on his gruff face. "A mission?"
"Yes," replied Xizor. "A simple retrieval mission. Pick me up this piece of filth off Kessel, and return him alive." Xixor showed the man a hologram of Dexter Jettster. "This piece of merchandise is important to me because he knows many inside secrets of my business."
"I see, my Lord," Djas Phur bowed again. "I shall embark on my journey this instant."
"See to it that you do,' said Lord Xixor. "And make sure you keep this one alive."
"Indeed, my Lord," Djas Phur said before heading for the door. "And what pay do I receive in return?"
Xixor turned an amused gaze upon his underling. "Pay?" He said with a chuckle. "Succeed in this mission, and we shall discuss the length of your pitiful life."
"Yes, my Lord," Djas Phur said quietly, and left the room.
The lord turned his chair back towards the still darkness of space. He scowled and cursed in Falleen.
Why do I have to bother with such idiots?
Xixor thought to himself.