Chapter Four.
"So this is what your were doing when you were hiding."
Jim coughed and sprayed a mouth full of his drink across the cockpit.
"Hiding ? I was researching this mission. So what do you think ?"
"Looks like most intel, guesses and wishful thinking. Who's this Kendrick guy ?"
Delgardo looked up at Warbonnet, then looked down and continued wiping the front of his shirt.
"Your silence tells me I'm not gonna like the answer."
OK, Kendrick is an Archaeologist, and I sliced the data from his computer."
"You do know the kind of trouble you could get into slicing into Republic computers don't you."
It wasn't really a question, they both knew Jim Delgardo either was or had been wanted on a number of planets for slicing crimes. The Senate Guard had used it considerable influence both in the Republic government and within planetary governments to try and expunge his criminal record, but on some planets they would much rather see him in a cell then forgiven. One of the conditions that the Senate Guard had forced upon Jim in order for him to join, was that he would not hack into the computer of any friendly government. Within a month of him joining the agreement had to be amended to include the Senate Guard's computer systems as well.
"I haven't."
"Then who ? Jim, no, you didn't."
Warbonnet started to chuckle when Jim gave him a side ways glance and smiled.
"That took some guts, if they traced you, they would have sent every Bounty Hunter that could travel in Republic space after you, might have been tempted to cash in on a prize that big myself."
"They've got a bigger price on your head last I'd heard."
"The Hutts have nothing on me."
"Not the Hutts, the Empire."
This time it was Warbonnet's turn to cough and splutter.
"WHAT !"
"Kendrick is an Archaeologist for the Imperial Reclamation Service, I've been slicing his computer for years, good price for artefacts and relics on the black market, won't touch any of that Sith stuff, great price, but they make your skin crawl. Well the story might have more to it than myth, I found out that this Kendrick guy has been exchanging some research with another Archaeologist called Talos Drelik about it, he left the service and now works for some guy called Dondinas, ever heard of him ?"
"Nope, should I have ?"
"He was on Hoth about the same time as you, never mind, probably some academic rich son of some Imperial jerk, wants all the best people around him to make him look good."
"Did you tell Kribs how you got this data ?"
"Well, I did tell her it was all meticulously researched, checked and checked again, but I may have left out the bit about the Empire."
"So she thinks you worked all this out."
"Who am I to tell a Jedi what to think. She never asked, too much, so I never told. I never lied, and that's the main thing."
"So is this Dondinas looking for the jewel too ?"
"Can't see it, the chances of us both looking for something that has been nothing more than a myth for hundreds if not thousands of years, are what ? A million to one."
Warbonnet sighed.
"Jim, as we know, million to one chances happen nine times out of ten."
"War, you coming up to the cockpit ? We should be dropping out of Hyperspace soon."
Jim shouted this from his pilots seat. Moments later Warbonnet entered and sat in the co-pilots seat.
"So what's the plan Jim ?"
"Well I'm gonna drop into real space not far from the point of entry into the atmosphere, then approach the island at low altitude. That way we shouldn't be spotted, and if we are they'll think we're just smugglers and report us to planetary customs, and since we are going no place near a customs officer, no awkward questions."
"Done this sort of thing before ?"
"Couldn't possibly comment. Strap your self in and shut up, we're coming out of light speed now, prepare to be impressed."
The XS freighter dropped out of hyperspace and hung stationary in the inky blackness above Alderaan.
"See, couldn't have been easier."
As Delgardo reached forward to engage the sub light engines the cockpit was suddenly flooded by a blinding white light. Over the cockpit loudspeakers boomed a voice.
"Unidentified freighter, this is the Imperial ship Fury, what is your purpose and intention in this area."
"Oh yes, real easy, got any more genius plans ?"
"A Fury, good, heavy on armour, light on speed, we can out run them. I'll jam there communications and then we are out of here."
"Err, Hi Fury, how you doing ? Err, bye !"
With that Jim stabbed a button jamming all communication frequencies in the area, then put his ships powerful sub light engines into full power. The ship shot forward, un-knowingly straight at the Fury, then at the last moment, Jim rotated the ship 180 degrees and then dived towards the planetary atmosphere.
On board the Fury Andronikos, who was sat in the pilots seat, shouted into the ships intercom,
"Brace for impact !"
The impact never came, at the last moment with the freighter filling the cockpit window, it twisted and dove for the planet.
Khem lumbered into the cockpit and with Darth Zash's voice enquired,
"What just just happend ?"
"Just some smuggler by the looks of the ship, I think we scared them more than anything. Nothing to worry about."
"I'm not worried, as long as they pose no threat to the reason we are here. Have you let them know on the surface yet ?"
"No need, like I said just some Smuggler. Haven't you got a book to read or something ?"
"You really are a most irritating man."
Khem smiled, not a nice site, he did not like having to share his body with the spirit of Darth Zash. He then turned and left the cockpit.
Andronikos laughed, he liked to annoy Zash, everyone should have a hobby he thought.
"Look, there are only eight islands in the chain, won't take long to fly past real low, scan them and find the one we are looking for."
"What do you think that Fury was doing ?"
Warbonnet was a bit worried about the presence of an Imperial ship, he was beginning to get a bad feeling about the mission.
"I don't know, they didn't even try to follow us. Just have to keep our eyes peeled."
"I'm going to check my gear, tell me when you find something."
He got up and left the cockpit, once he had gone, Jim Delgardo let out a big breath, that Imperial ship had shaken him, what were they doing here ? He tried to put it out of his mind, one think at a time Jimbo he told himself, one thing at a time.