Chapter Nine – Fantasies
The moment Peema Ahuff told her the head she had brought was a fake because the "real head" had already been delivered, Alico knew that Skavak had somehow one-upped her again. He hadn't interfered in her business on Tatooine, promising one night and one night only—a promise he had held to. And while she was running around in the desert, he had concocted a plan to screw her over. At least he had given her fair warning. She wasn't even surprised this time.
Alico relaxed against the wall as the curator anxiously and agitatedly dialed Skavak's holofrequency. He flickered into view just as Peema began his noble tirade.
"Captain Skavak? This is Noble Curator Peema Ahuff speaking. I demand that you return the Arkanian hyperdrive at once. The head you bought it with is a counterfeit."
Alico rolled her eyes. These nobles had no idea what they were getting into. Maybe if you write Skavak a nasty letter, she thought, he'll be more inclined to cooperate.
"Sorry, Peemie. I have a strict 'no refunds' policy," Skavak told him and then looked at her. He smiled wide. "Heya, Captain. You're a little late to the party."
"We really have to stop meeting like this," she purred.
"I promised you'd regret crossing me."
"You also promised to kill me yourself, but no luck there." She tilted her head. "Where'd you dig up a counterfeit head, Skavak?"
"On a battlefield, where else? People will buy anything if the case is fancy enough," he said and she shrugged. There was no denying facts. Skavak smirked at her and then looked at the curator again. "Hope you don't mind, Peemie, but Neva's taking an early retirement. She's too gorgeous for life in a museum."
So that was how he had gotten the counterfeit head verified. That figured. Alico wondered if he was saying it for her sake—to make her jealous—or just to piss off the curator.
"What?" Peema gasped. "You… you… menace! You corrupted that girl!"
"Wasn't that hard. Trust me."
Alico knew that was true. If he had pulled any of the tricks on Neva that he had on her, the girl would be falling over her face trailing after the man. Never at any point had Skavak tried to seduce her like he would try to seduce his usual space tarts, and she couldn't help but wonder what his opening line might be. She was immune, of course, and he knew it. That didn't mean an innocent little museum girl—or any girl he'd so far wooed into crime—knew a Bantha's butt from a Skavak lie.
"You won't have much use for women once me and Hewie get done with you, Skavak," Corso growled.
"You still got that giant vibrosword?" he asked. "What are you trying to compensate for, kid?"
"Corso doesn't have anything to prove," Alico chimed in nonchalantly. Skavak eyed her like he couldn't believe she'd said it. There was a split-second shadow of anger that crossed his face before he recovered, but she had seen it. His fault for trying to make her jealous with that line about Neva. It's not like she really knew about Corso's equipment, either. In spite of the farm boy's crush on her, he believed she was too good for him to pursue and she had never tried to convince him otherwise, too consumed by her hatred of Skavak that he was the only man in her mind.
"Aw, forgive me," Skavak pouted. "I didn't know you two had gotten so close." He laughed in his low, guttural way. "Oh, I wish I had a holo of your face right now, Ali. That expression is just priceless." He pointed at her. "Have fun eating my vapor trails…"
"This is unthinkable!" Peema exclaimed when Skavak hung up.
"You got that right," Alico murmured under her breath. Had he called her Ali on purpose or was it a slip of the tongue? She hoped no one else had noticed.
"Ali?" Corso asked. Damn. So much for no one noticing. "What's that all about?"
"I guess he got tired of his usual 'sweethearts' and 'darlings'."
"It's a bit personal, don't you think, Captain?"
"It's Skavak," she reminded him. "Everything is personal."
/
The empty hangar she had chased Skavak to smelled of a trap from lightyears away. That didn't stop her from walking into it, Corso in tow. The ringing of a holocommunicator only served as a warning and then, bam, the trap was sprung. A dozen mercenaries popped out from hiding seconds before Skavak appeared over the line.
"You didn't waste any time, did ya, Captain?" he asked. "Bet you ran quicker than a vyractul on hot sand—not that it mattered."
"How does he always manage to get away?" Corso exclaimed, and Alico wondered if he really hadn't seen it coming.
"Yeah, sorry I can't be there in person," he murmured, "but my sweet, little Neva is very sensitive to violence."
"Where are you dropping this poor girl, Skavak?" She glanced back at Corso. "Fifty creds says she doesn't even make it off planet."
"That's a solid bet, Captain," he agreed.
"That doesn't sound like me," Skavak said with feigned hurt, touching his chest as though he were wounded. "Don't be so ugly, sweetheart. Jealousy is a dark road. Don't worry though, my friends here will show you a good time."
"I'm sure it's a better time than you could show me," she countered. "Seems all your good for is running."
"You know that just isn't true, sweetheart," he shot back in a husky tone.
"What's wrong, Skavak?" Alico crossed her arms over her chest. "Afraid to face me yourself?"
"Nah, it's just, this way, I can watch you get slaughtered from every conceivable angle. Isn't technology wonderful?" He motioned to his mercenaries. "Captain, say hello to Sergeant Dutonian and his men. They were working freelance for the houses, but now they work for me."
"You hired a whole army to kill just us?" Corso asked. "I'm honored."
"The sergeant has graciously accepted my contract—on very short notice, I might add—to vaporize you."
"They should have stayed in bed," she murmured, immediately drawing her gun and landing a shot between one of the merc's eyes.
"Hit it, men!" the Sergeant yelled just as Corso dove for cover and Alico triggered her stealth generator.
The fighting lasted a handful of surreal minutes as she and her farm boy made short work of the mercs. All the hired guns Skavak had thrown her way had definitely given her a world of practice when it came to combat and now she had it down to a science. As Corso pulled the enemy gunfire on himself, she dispatched one merc after another from stealth, sometimes with a blaster to the head and sometimes with a scattergun shot to the back.
When Skavak's mercenaries were dead on the ground, Alico rolled her shoulders and popped her neck, trying hard to resist smirking when she walked up to Skavak's holoprojection.
"You're either the luckiest shot in the galaxy," he said, "or those were some seriously unlucky mercenaries. Guess I'll erase this holorecording."
"At least send me a copy of that holo first," she insisted.
"What, for your scrapbook? I hate to cut things short, but I got a swanky new hyperdrive to install! Love that Arkanian tech." He took a step forward like he could invade her personal space. "Take good care of the rest of my stuff, Captain. I'll be coming for it soon."
The sound of footsteps running toward her filled the hangar as Skavak disconnected the call. Alico turned to see Risha catching up to them.
"Just found out what's happening," she said, pausing only to catch her breath. "Sorry I'm late. The good news is I tracked Skavak's ship to House Thul's spaceport. He must have gone there to finish installing that hyperdrive. There's still time to get him."
Best news she'd heard all day.
"Let's go," Alico said, immediately heading for the exit.
"Throttle down, Captain," Risha said, reaching out to grab her arm. "It's not that simple."
Alico sighed. It never was.
/
Alico followed Risha through her ship as the well-dressed mechanic explained to her the next step of the plan. Their business on Alderaan had concluded and now it was looking like the only thing left to do was go for the treasure. At least, Alico hoped that was the case. She was getting tired of unloading Skavak's crap and running around the galaxy, getting involved in everyone's crazy problems.
"It won't take long to wire the Arkanian hyperdrive to the ship's engines," Risha said as they moved into the engine room, "and that anti-radiation shield will be a snap to build."
"What's so special about this Arkanian hyperdrive tech?" Alico wanted to know.
"It's one-hundred percent accurate for thirty parsecs." Damn. "Trust me, you need this." No arguments there. "I'll have those upgrades online in—" Her holocommunicator began beeping. "Hang on…" she mumbled, picking up the transmitter. Enthusiasm lit up her face like a super nova. "Oooh, this ought to be good." She pushed the button to accept the call. "Hello, Skavak. How's tricks?"
"Just fantasizing about killing you and your friend, sweetheart," he told her, immediately turning to face Alico. "Want to hear the details?"
Alico grinned excitedly. "In my fantasy, you burn alive!"
Skavak chuckled. "My plan involves synthrope, a jar of dioche sauce, and a starving colony of kretch insects."
"I could probably get on board for a few of those things."
"Haven't you learned yet, Skavak?" Risha purred. "Cheaters never win. We're leaving Alderaan with all the prizes, and you're… well, stuck being you. "
"Have fun while it lasts, kids. The end of the ride is coming soon," he declared and hung up.
"Like I've never heard that before," Alico mumbled.
"I have to hand it to you, Captain," Risha said as she stowed the holo device. "You not only took care of business, but you made Skavak look like a fool."
"Yeah, it's gotten to be one of my favorite activities. I'm thinking about making it a full-time gig."
Risha laughed. "The only women Skavak understands are brainless tarts." She nodded at Alico and turned to get to work installing the hyperdrive. "You must be tilting his galaxy."
Alico remembered Skavak's little "slip" when he called her Ali and wondered if Risha was right.
