05

HOS BRENTH

High in the orbit of the planet Kessel, Hos Brenth's personal ship loomed over the acid burned atmosphere. The yacht was the most prestigious possession of the Crimson Dawn Lieutenant. As a Mandalorian, he was not one for many material possessions, something that he and his fellow Mandalorian and former Death Watch comrade, Dryden Vos differed on greatly.

Vos' entire persona upon becoming the face and de'facto leader of the syndicate was submerged in lavish riches and items of vanity. Both of their loyalties to Lord Maul since his brief rule as Mandalor, with the Death Watch splinter cell under his command to his rise in power as the syndicate of Crimson Dawn had made them both very rich and powerful men. It was Dryden's ability to become an image of a business man that tipped the scales in his favor in the eyes of Maul to appoint him as his puppet—an image that corrupted his Mandalorian heritage.

That's what killed Dryden Vos, not some scoundrel with a blaster. Hos would not be so easily dispatched. The large circular dojo chamber with a high ceiling on his yacht had a smooth, flat floor, a circle border detailed on the smooth metal surface. The room was dimly lit by six encircling torches along the walls.

Set on a post outside of the circle was a red and grey detailed chest plate assembly. A pair of gauntlets equipped with various tools and weapons built into them were set on this post as well. The Mandalorian armor was scratched and the paint was scuffed and weathered. At the top of the post sat a fierce black and red detailed helmet with a sharp black 'T' shaped visor. The armor was still, as if watching the figures in the circle.

Hos' broad frame was shadowed in the dim room by his dark skin. His bared upper body rippling with muscle, scarred and burned in various places from the warrior's brutal life. Surrounding him were five combative droids with average humanoid proportions and shapes. A single yellow glaring light serving as optical receptors fixed on him from each of the droids.

Hos didn't wait for their attack. He lashed out to the droid on his left. In its mechanical grip a vibro-sword swiped through the darkness. Hos dodged the swinging blade and firmly grasped the head of the droid in one hand and wrist in the other before kicking the shoulder joint, tearing it from its place, leaving the gore of exposed wires. With the detached arm still dangling from the vibrosword's hilt, Hos quickly spun behind the amputated droid just as a pair of blaster bolts fired, hitting the droid.

Already, his blade clashed with the dagger wielded by another hostile droid. Hos kicked the droid in the midriff, causing it to keel over before swinging down hard with the vibrosword, cleaving it into the droid's cranium. The droid with the blaster pistol fired again but Hos ducked to the dojo floor rolling away while snatching the dagger. Already another droid engaged, armed with an electro staff buzzing with purple electric nodes on both ends.

Hos went for a quick jab to the droid's throat but missed, instead receiving a shocking blow to his exposed ribs. The electricity stung and left a singeing burn. With a grunt, Hos spun round again, grasping at the staff while slicing the droid's throat. With the dagger still in hand, Hos threw it, spinning blade over handle at another approaching droid. The droid dodged before lunging its three pronged spear down on the Mandalorian. With the electrostaff, Hos caught the spear in the saddle of the prongs just short of an inch from his own face.

Another pair of blaster fire bolted his direction but missed as he spun and jabbed one of the nodes of the staff at the spear wielding droid. The droid blocked the first attack but was not ready for the quick reciprocating strike of the opposite node to the head. The droid's circuit's fried from the blunt impact, leaving a sizzling dent. As the droid crashed hard to the dojo floor, Hos followed through with a heavy boot stomping in the droid's temple to finish the job.

The blaster pistol wielding droid fired another pair of blaster bolts which were thrown off target as Hos swatted the pistol with a spin of the electrostaff. He followed through, swiping a leg out from under the droid. Hos dropped the staff and spun behind the droid, catching it in his bare hands and snapping its neck. Servo motors wined under the strain then gave out with wisps of smoke as the droid collapsed.

He stood amongst the wreckage of sparking, smoking droid corpses, heaving heavy breaths. From behind, the single door to the dojo opened with a hiss and a humming presence entered the room.

"Status report," the neutral buzzing voice said.

Hos turned around to find his XR-60 assistant droid hovering outside of the dojo circle. A glowing red optical lens fixed on him from the equator of a spherical body with four dangling limbs. "Report," Hos breathed as he stepped out of the circle.

"Lieutenant Qi'ra issued a private bounty contract on Tobias Beckett and crew exactly 11 hours, 34 minutes, 21 seconds ago. Ten bounty hunters have been contacted. 4-LOM, Aal Gosha, Amanaman, Bossk-"

"Show me," Hos ordered. A red holographic projection shone from XR-60's lens. The list of bounty hunters materialized before Hos whom studied it. As Hos scanned the list, few names caught his attention. "How much is she offering?"

"Bounty for Tobias Beckett and crew is listed for twenty thousand imperial credits."

"An easy outbid," Hos said to himself. He'd already thought over his course of action. Next was to choose who to hire for the job – a hunter for a hunter. He would finish what Qi'ra had begun and he would be the new head of Crimson Dawn.