Chapter 2 - The second interview.
When I arrived on Corasco it was a bright sunny day, the warmth almost immediately bringing forth a bead of sweat on my brow. I shuffled off the transport with two dozen other passengers, mostly tourists. I had read during the journey that this was a planet where people would visit for vacation. Corneum was a popular place, especially amongst Imperial officers on shore leave. It was classed as a relaxation spot. This I found to be quite confusing. Why was a rebel cell operating out of a place like this?
The spaceport was busy, and I wasn't expecting anyone to meet me. The dusty arrival hall was loud and hot, and I was glad not to have too much in the way of luggage. I had changed into some civilian clothes I had bought along the way, so my uniform was now in my kit bag with my other possessions. As I passed through the security checkpoint the guard gave me a look like he knew me, which wasn't impossible, as I had dealt with a lot of people, especially during my freelance years.
The assignment paperwork (now long destroyed) told me the address of where I would find Captain Malakan, so I planned to go there and try to figure out what the job entailed. I stepped out into the daylight and squinted, the light was bouncing off every surface, especially the distant ocean, right where the actual town of Corneum lay, a little distance from the spaceport which was situated in scrub land, mainly rocks, dust and the occasional withered tree.
Just as I was pondering which direction to head to try and find a ride, I felt the unmistakable shape of a blaster barrel, probably something like an MZ14 hand blaster, jammed in between by shoulder blades. A deep, husky, accented voice spoke in my ear. "Boas Hunter?" I nodded casually. This wasn't the first time I'd had a blaster pointed at me, and I was fairly sure it wouldn't be the last. "Follow me." He said, and the feeling in my back was removed. He stepped in front of me and walked at a fast stride, causing me to struggle to keep up, weighed down by my bag. I didn't call out or complain though. This was my first test, undoubtedly.
We headed down a couple of small side streets that surrounded the port and were full of market vendors, and eventually we came to a speeder, sleek and low but not in the best of condition. "Nice." I said as he got into the driver seat and motioned for me to get in. "Breyum 65? Beautiful machine."
His rugged face softened a little. "Its an old piece of shit. Breaks down more than my Astromech can handle, but what the hell, it looks good and goes fast, and thats what matters, right?" I nodded as he pulled out onto the highway and built his speed towards the town.
"So what's the deal here?" I asked once we were out of earshot of anyone and travelling at speed.
"The deal here," he replied gruffly, barely concentrating on the speeders controls, "is that you keep your mouth shut, don't ask questions and do as I say."
I nodded. "Ok, that seems, inefficient. Can't you even tell me what the job is here?"
"When I know I can trust you, thats when I tell you what the job is here."
"The guys on Dantooine didn't vouch for me?" I was a little exasperated.
"They did." He took a bite from something that I assumed was fruit, and spat half of it out into the wind. "But that doesn't tell me if you're going to run at the first sign of trouble, or if you have my back in a firefight." That made absolute sense to me.
"Understood." I said softly. This would be like my first weeks in the marines.
He pulled the speeder over and jumped out, we were now on the coast, the sea lapping at the beach down below the cliffs that bordered the road. We were at a cafe, and he was settling down at a table. The patio was busy with all sorts of people. He ordered something from a waitress who smiled longingly at him and disappeared.
"I have a task for you." He said softly, leaning back casually in his seat. When the waitress returned with two glasses he slipped her some notes and a sly wink before he took one and started to sip the green liquid. I left mine in front of me for now. "In about five minutes, one Lieutenant Yer of the Imperial navy will come and stand in front of this establishment. I need you to distract him. Make sure he does not notice me leave. Understood?" He looked at me over his glass.
I lifted my glass and put it to my lips, the smell making my nostrils dance. It was a very pleasant burn as the liquid slipped down my throat. "Affirmative." I said almost automatically.
He smiled widely "Oh, service man eh?"
"Renifro Marine commandos" I said, careful to keep my voice low and avoid any eavesdroppers.
"I was in the Ganthium second guard, fought in several phases of the later clone wars, when they started to pull in recruits, after the clones numbers started to get depleted. Always nice to work with another veteran."
"I was involved in the Ursam cluster war for a few years. The Binax triangle was brutal." This was in danger of becoming two old war dogs talking about their conquests.
"I saw the transmissions from there!" He said, sitting forward slightly. "Looked like a bloodbath."
"Yeah, I lost a few good friends there." I looked away.
"Sorry." He said and was quiet for a moment before he touched my arm. "Showtime." He nodded towards the street where, sure enough, a man stood in the grey uniform of the Imperial Navy. I stood and moved out into the road, trying to think of a tactic for this mission while Mal stayed seated, casually sipping his drink and looking off into the distance.
I had no idea what I was going to do, just wing it I guess. The officer was walking slowly up the road on the opposite side from the cafe, near the beach. He slowed and started to turn towards the cafe so I quickly closed the gap and put on my most tourist accent. "Oh hey sir, I wonder if you could help me out?"
He turned and looked me up and down. I could see his name plate has Yer embossed on it, the bronzium plating glinting in the sunlight. His shoulder pips told me he was a Lieutenant. "Make it quick" he sneered. Oh this should be easy.
""Well, see, I'm new here, and you look like a very important officer, so I thought you should be able to help out." I was making sure that I was standing between him and the cafe, and he had been trying to look around me until I mentioned the important part, at which his shoulder pulled back and his chest puffed out.
"Oh, well, you certainly came to the right man!" Wow, what a pompous ass! "I'm the ranking officer here on Corasco, and so its my business to know everything happening on this delightful backwater. Ask away." This was going to be easier than I thought. I had actually managed to get him facing towards the beach and away from the cafe, so I chanced a look over my shoulder and couldn't see Mal. He had gone.
"I only arrived this morning and I need to find a place to stay" I hoped this would work. He started to turn so I quickly diverted his attention. "Somewhere with this view." I gestured out to the ocean. "This stunning view. I bet the sunsets are incredible!"
He was now back to fully facing the ocean. "Oh it's the sunrise you need to see over this ocean. The sun sets behind you." Now he paused a moment as he thought. He slightly turned to look up the street allowing me to see past him, where Mal had his head in the cab of a shiny grey speeded. That explained a lot. "You could try Sarins, or the Hain Tower, just up there." He pointed up the street, his cuff pulling back from his black glove to reveal an expensive looking watch. That, I thought, would look great on my wrist. Another mental note for later.
"Well those sound ok," I replied, "but I'm looking for somewhere, I don't know, top class? Somewhere an important man such as yourself would stay." I grimaced a little inside. Wow, if he fell for that I would be dealing with a true moron. I took another glance back and couldn't see Mal at the speeder, so I did a crazy little pirouette, trying my best to look like a lost tourist. There he was, at the table in the cafe sipping his drink looking a little smug.
Yer looked quite proud. "Of course I stay in the Ambassador when I have to, but I would be surprised if a civilian such as yourself can afford that level." Oh I hoped the end game was to take this guy down. What a dick.
"You know, you're probably right." I said. "I'm gonna go see if I can get in the, what was it, Hain tower? Sounds great." I offered my hand enthusiastically and he took it, somewhat reluctant, allowing me to grasp his rather limp grip and shake it wildly. "Thanks, I'll catch you again sir." I bounded back across the road and into the cafe itself, keeping tabs on Yer who took a momentary glance back at the cafe, then around at the other eateries and shops in the area before he continued on his walk down the road, rod firmly inserted in his ass. When he was gone I slipped off my jacket and went out, sitting by Mal again.
"Nice work." He said, feet up on a nearby chair, looking very relaxed. "Welcome aboard." He lifted his drink to his lips, and I passed my hand across the table. What I dropped there made Mal smile a wide smile, he nodded and stood, motioning for me to followed. I noticed he was chuckling to himself slightly as he left a couple of coins on the table, right next to the imperial lieutenant insignia i had stolen from Yer's shoulder.