I started this as a short story for while I had writers block on another one. Thought it would only be about four chapters. At present, I'm not sure how far it's going to go.
Ciena stood in what should have been the Venture's ISB office, resisting the urge to pace with nervousness.
As Terrik and his green-and-yellow suited men stood by their monitors, she sent a sideways glance at the to aliens who waited in the room with them. Calling themselves the Zar'cali, they claimed to hail from a world farther into wild space. She had never heard of them, and neither had Terrik or any of his people. He'd agreed to let them join in this "little bounty hunt," but only allowed them into the security office unarmed.
Elderly looking, with a posture that stooped forward, the leader Talmec and his aid sat at the staff table as they all waited for any word from Thane. They appeared patient, but Ciena had learned enough about combat to recognize the subtle tension buzzing in both of them, like predators waiting to spring.
She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling they gave her, but in truth it was probably just the situation. Captain Terrik's people had dug through their security records, and found that Gran was presenting something at an auction hall off Traders Alley. It was almost certainly the place his deal with the being who might be Thrawn would go down.
Here in the security office, they waited for their targets to be positively ID'ed, at which point they would signal the security team to move in and grab the Imperials. It was Thane who was taking the risk of actually going to the auction hall, with just one disguised Zar'cali as back up. Apparently Terrik also had at least one security officer planted among the buyers, but Ciena wasn't entirely sure she trusted his people.
One of them had to be there to tell for sure if it was Gran, and Thane had argued strongly that it was better if he tried. His career in the Imperial Navy had been much shorter, and there was a smaller chance Gran or his lackeys would recognize him, as opposed to a former star destroyer captain. Normally Ciena wouldn't have agreed to it, but Terrik and Talmec had been in favor of it, and time was short.
She should probably switch her position to the security team, and be there to help Thane if anything went wrong. She clutched at the leather bracelet on her wrist, trying to reassure herself. It was dangerous enough when it was just Gran in the equation. Now, if their new alien friends were to be believed, they might also have to face off against an even more cunning, and maybe even equally ruthless criminal in the form of this grand admiral. It was too dangerous for Thane to do alone, she should don some spacers clothes and helmet and go back him up in disguise; there had to be outfits like that all over this ship. There should still be time t-
"Wampa to captain, come in captain," Everyones attention was drawn to the monitor com. Terrik got to it first. "This is captain," he'd insisted on the code names, which struck Ciena as unnecessarily dramatic. "Do you have eyes on the targets?"
"Not yet," Thane spoke at the hooded Zar'cali sitting next to him. He's been given a pair of goggles, with a small relay implanted in them, which would allow him and the security office to communicate as he pantomimed talking to his companion.
The goggles also hid the fact that his eyes swept across the room, looking for either of their targets. With several rows of seats facing a small stage, the auction hall could have fit maybe fifty or sixty beings. There were now less then two dozen. Thane and his backup sat off to one side, out of the way of anyones interest. A steady stream of junk that some beings considered valuable was being presented, and the wait was getting tedious. He fiddled with the number paddle he'd been given, wondering if he should try to bid on something to avoid looking suspicious. "How much longer is this auction supposed to last?"
"One hour," the smuggler Terrik replied. "It can't be long now, unless your alien friend was spotted and they've had us." The biggest concern most of them had was that espionage veterans like Gran and Thrawn would notice something suspicious and try to make a run for it; which was why Terrik was keeping the visible presence of his security around the auction site to a minimum, even undercover agents. He hadn't wanted the Zar'cali there either, but Talmec insisted they needed to positively ID Thrawn, so one heavily robbed and hooded alien had gone with Thane.
If their cover had been blown, Terrik had people watching the ships they both came in, and insisted the star destroyers formidable close range defenses were ready to blast them out of the stars if they somehow made it past security. Based on the sensor reading he'd gotten flying in, Thane wasn't sure the ship was up to the job.
A sample of exotic pottery that some alien species apparently molded from their own mucus just sold for small change to an older chevin female, and Thane was tempted to go out and get a drink if the Imperials didn't show up soon. Then a tall being walked into the auction hall, and the Zar'cali spoke something that sounded like a curse under its breath.
It was the same blue skinned, dark haired alien that Talmec had recorded, wearing the same dark heavy glasses. Alone, and with a reinforced credit case in one hand. Striding purposefully down the aisle, he stopped in the second row of seats, and sat down with exaggerated care, leaning the case against his leg.
"Thrawn," the alien next to Thane muttered in heavily accented basic. The former rebel pilot nodded, turning to him as if to talk as he softly spoke for the receiver to pick up. "Womp rat Two is in the building," he announced. "No sign of Womp rat One."
A vintage pilots helmet from Naboo was sold next, to a short spacer in a ratty suit currently wearing a battered Imperial pilots helmet. The protocol droid taking bids called for attention as two men stepped out of the stages side door bearing the next item. Settling a large hover-crate on the stage, they opened it and pulled out an antique-looking rifle. Long-barreled an thin, it appeared to old and fragile to use.
Thane almost didn't notice the men who walked in, but when he did he fought down a gulp in the back of his throat. Part of him had never really believed they'd catch Hernan Gran, and he'd been just fine with that.
The aging human didn't look like a pitiless war criminal, or fit for military service of any kind. Gray haired and somewhat overweight, with deeply jowled face, a wide scowling mouth, and wet deep-set eyes. He looked completely inconspicuous in the cheap business clothes he wore, and his eyes scanned the room with disinterest as he casually walked down the aisle and sat just one seat away from the blue glasses wearer. He was accompanied by a younger, fitter man who couldn't look less military, or out of place in civilian clothes
"Captain," Thane mumbled into the receiver. "Womp rat one is in the building."
"Perfect," Terrik beat his fist on the console, and patted his crewman on the shoulder. "Call up Fyg and tell him to go in."
"We should pull Thane out," Ciena insisted. "Those two aren't going to come quietly, get them out now!"
"Thrawn will suspect," Talmec spoke up. "We must give him no clue, until we have our claws around his throat."
"They already are," Terrik brushed off his objections. "I don't care how good you think this grand admiral is, no way he's slipping away from my people."
The alien's green eyes narrowed, and he growled faintly in his throat, but nodded. "As you will, captain."
"Bout dawn time," Thane mumbled as he and the Zar'cali stood and began filing out of the hall. None of the disguised Imperials paid them any mind. Gran could have been an android for all the emotion he showed, and Thrawn was trying to outbid a one-eyed devaronian for the rifles. Thane took note of the large scrape mark marring the side of the crate on stage, scratching up the exact spot where the Imperial symbol would have sat on military cargo.
"The deals going down now," He whispered to his partners back in the office. "The rifles are the disruptors. Thrawn's got th-"
And when they reached the aisle, the alien warrior drew out a blaster and shot a stunbolt into the imperial admirals back.
"What the F-," Thane was sent sprawling by a back handed blow from the powerful alien as it tore off its hood and howled in triumph. Chaos engulfed the whole room as beings bolted from their seats and fled for the nearest exit. On the stage above the protocol droid was bowled over as its two helpers ran for their lives. Blaster bolts rent the air, and the familiar burnt smell of their scorch marks hit his nostrils.
Before he could pick himself up Thane had the wind knocked out of him by a Chadra-Fan stepping on his stomach. As he gulped in a breath he saw something hit the floor off to the side and recognized the chevin through the legs of the bleachers, with a blaster falling out of her hand. Must have been Terrik's disguised agent.
Struggling to push himself up, the confused human found his Zar'cali companion grappling with Colonel Gran over the shot up body of his companion. The former imperial attacked the stronger opponent with surprising speed and savagery. Driving his heavy boot into the reptiles knee he beat his fists into it's neck and stomach; punishing blows aimed at weak spots to inflict maximum pain. With a howling wine of agony the alien struck back and raked it's claws across the humans body, tearing his cloths to shreds.
It didn't bring it any relief, as it's claws scrapped uselessly against the concealed armor worn tight against the Imperials skin. The former stormtrooper landed a blow to it's eyes, beating it down with quick and precise blows as fluid as a well programed droid. As the reptile collapsed against the seats Gran pulled a vibro-blade from his coat, thumbed it on, and was bending down to dispassionately cut the aliens throat when Thane's shot hit him in the skull.
Staggering to his feet, Thane helped pull the Zar'cali back up as he surveyed the now deserted hall. "I hope you feel those in the morning, dammit," Thane gestured at the reptiles blackened eyes and many bruises. "I don't know what your boss told you, but the plan was we let the security team do the capture!"
Thane stumbled back as he nearly stepped on the imperial officers corps. It was hard to believe he'd just killed him, that one quick shot ended this little adventure for him and Ciena.
Rubbing its long neck, where it had taken several ugly hits, the alien choked out something in its language.
"What?!"
" Zzzar'ccalllli," it hissed, coughing violently before it finished. "Wwwe mustt ttake Thhhrawn. Nnot wwwattch, honor demands it be our cllaws that rrake his fflesh!"
Thane wasn't sure if he was being metaphorical or literal about clawing the admiral. "You wanted to almost get us killed for some dumb-ass tradition? Was personally shooting Thrawn worth your life?"
The alien growled out its response, stumbling down the aisle to where Thrawn had fallen. "An alien wouldn't understand, after the shame he visited on our people w-,"
It stopped, and a high-pierced shriek left it's mouth as it fell to its knees. Thane rushed to its side, fearing the alien's wounds may be even worse than they looked, when he realized it was yelling in rage, not pain. The row of seats, where the comatose admiral, should be lying was empty.
"What do you mean gone?" Terrik shouted into the com.
"I mean just, gone," Thane's reply came back anxiously. "I saw the stunbolt hit him, I know it did. But he's not here!"
"Son-of-a-karking," The captain turned to one of his men. "Call Fyg and find out why the blazes he isn't there yet!" He sprang from his chair and rounded on Talmec, nearly bursting with anger. "Did you order your man to try and capture them by himself!?"
The alien nodded, neither scared or apologetic. "I am sorry it was necessary to deceive you, I would have rather we did it ourselves. But we needed your help to find where they would meet."
Ciena's hand closed around her blaster handle. "You put them in danger! Thane; one of your own soldiers?"
"And all for nothing," the alien shook his head. "Thrawn has slipped through our claws again. And now, when we attempt to retake our world, I will have to face him on the battlefield." He looked up, and Ciena thought the light had gone out of his eyes. "We have nothing left but to try and recoup our loses."
Terrik palmed his fist, glowering at him. "We've still got Gran at least, his corpse will get us a good price. But you're not getting one credit of it. You can go back to y-"
"Credits are no used to us now," Talmec shook his head, as he and his companion stood. "But I have some hope that this ship, old and weakened though it is, may bite deep at Thrawn's fleet."
The humans were too stunned to respond for a moment; Terrik going red as he fought through shock and rage. "Wha-what are you,karking little, get off my ship!"
He went for his blaster, but in the blink of an eye the alien had crossed the room and slashed its clawed hand at the smuggler captains throat.