A Gamble of Three | by Senth
Chapter 2- Fatal Aquaintainces
(FEATURING: Anin Darkstar... courtesy of Kato)
Mos Eisly.
Disgusting, terribly unsanitary, the food is barely edible (the best place to eat is owned by a Hutt), not to mention the smell of blaster ozone concocted with the scents of ship oil and greasy Corellian food made bantha puddu actually smell good. Stars knows what the Hutts here consider perfume! The off-white walls of the various buildings already had slime or mold growing on it. But one wouldn't know what grows on the walls in Mos Eisly.
Better to avoid the fresher stations, Anin Darkstar noted thoughtfully, for all we know a mynock might come up out of waste dispenser bowl. Hmmm... Good point. Her short black hair was already dirty with sand and her face felt as if it was going to be burned if she stayed out any longer.
"My circuits are melting!" complained Ampi. Anin looked at the jumbled up mix of chrome and gold floating on a black half worn orb repulsor lift with it's skeletal technical arms raised up in whining jitters and the one green crossair sensor seemingly staring at her impunity. Anin raised an eyebrow.
"Feel lucky we're not in Nar Shaadda." She told the floating droid.
"Sith!" Ampi cursed, the floating droid simply had no chip for modesty, "Thank the Maker we're not in Nar Shaadda. Another blaster scorch and I'll be scarred for life!" Anin rolled her eyes as they strolled down the sandy roads she swore under her breath as a swoop rider darted past her spitting sand in her face.
"*&^&%$%$!!!" whizzed Ampi with a string of programmed curses Anin had no understanding for.
"You can say that again." She told the droid dryly and looked at it's sand covered niches. Ampi put down his arms and said nothing his green sensor turning red emoting feelings of anger and annoyance. Anin smirked, the bucket bolts actually looked threatning.
"Alright, where are we going?" It demanded. Anin sighed pulling up the light tan leather sleeve of her duster (no pun intended), and glanced at her chrono.
"We have to find Salumbre's Tavern and meet Chet'ka there for whatever problem she's having with one of Black Sun's agents." Anin muttered mentioning the second Red Fyre agent, "And we have another half hour to find the sithin' place." Ampi buzzed again.
"Why not ask one of the locals?" He told her as if she were stupid. Anin looked up at the heavy armed aliens and humans in the space ports, bounty hunters, smugglers, and spacers alike with battle scars patched eyes, and not-so-very-friendly looks on their faces.
"Wanna another blaster scorch?" She implied sarcastically.
"You are an idiot." The droid said his sensor still red.
"Can it, you pile of circuits or I'll take you apart and spread your pieces to all sides of the galaxy so you'll never be put together again." She warned walking ahead. The droid made a very human gesture floating right in front of her and crossing its pipe-like arms.
"Sorry to put it," Ampi replied sardonically, "But that override code has no effect on my being." Anin narrowed her eyes. Ampi was probabaly the only droid in this galaxy in which that warning phrase took no effect at all.
"We'll see when I find that hydrospanner." She stormed ahead Ampi following not saying a word. Droids these days, she thought, they have no respect for human masters. Well... it was true she could get a programmer to make Ampi more amicable, but his personality was just what she needed to make him an interesting couterpart. More interesting and trutworthy than most other creatures that was for sure. She knew Ampi would keep any information loaded onto him secret, there was no doubt of that.
Anin and Ampi whined through the narrow alleys and streets. Anin simply gave up at finding the Tavern and finally decided to ask someone. She saw an amiable looking sullustan spacer and asked him where the tavern was.
"Uhi nal shi'tti boun far'assi cona drat." It replied pointing ahead. Anin blinked. What?
"He says go straight ahead and the Tavern is to your right." Ampi offered conveniently. Anin sighed exasperated.
"Thanks." She told the droid as she went ahead. And walla! There was the tavern.
"I TOLD you we should have asked a local in the first place!" Ampi bragged his sensor turning green again in common satisfaction. Anin rolled her eyed again.
"Why don't you switch off?" She offered. As she walked into the tavern she found the air utterly putrid humod and heavy. It stank of cigarra smoke and overly fermented Sullustan rum. Yummy, she thought sarcastically, this was just such a delicious place to negotiate important affairs of bussiness. Anin figured the Black Sun agent chose this place for strategic reasons, who knew how many of Black Sun's thugs hanged out here anyways?
She ignored the suspicious and ravenous glares from the crowd of scum as she walked toward the table where Chat'ka sat. Chat'ka smiled at her her deep green eyes brightening and her ornately tattooed leku twitching expectantly.
"Hali san'sya mor'i shashlidash?" Chat'ka told Anin. Anin shook her head and smiled sitting sent to her noticing how their table was set apart in one of the more shadowy corners of the tavern.
"Speak basic I don't understand a sithin' word your saying." She told Chat'ka. The Twi'lek female laughed in good humor.
"You know, Anindarkstar." said Chat'ka in her heavily accented basic, "You should take lessons in alien languages they are extremely important in places like this." She advised.
"That's what protocol droids were invented for." Anin replied, "Besides I can manage." Ampi made a non-commital sound, "I told you to switch off." She added. Again Chat'ka smiled humored by the other agent.
"And yet you can't stand a protocol droid. You humand depend too much on technology." She observed. Anin shrugged feeling nauseous in the damp disgusting air of the tavern. Not to mention it looked like someone had attempted to murder their table the old and new blaster scars quite visible. She traced one of the dark deep scars, a newer one thoughtfully.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She replied to Chat'ka's kind advice, "Next thing you'll be telling me is that the Emperor depends too much on his stormtroopers and they can't even aim much less fight, and we both know that for a fact." Anin added quite seriously. Chat'ka patted her on the back.
"And yet there are still other wonders unaccounted for."
Anin brought her finger up from the table looking at it with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, like when was the last time they cleaned this table?" A heavy armed brown scaled Trandoshan dressed mainly in black walked up to their table. Anin slowly put her hand to her holster under it. Chat'ka's smile turned a stolid expression of warning and her leku twitched to the equivalent of a human shiver.
"Galliki ohna fridrin Red Fyre?"Are you the Red Fyre agents? The Trandoshan asked in a slow deep growling tone.
Anin understood none of it and Ampi had already floated safely behind her. Anin figured the bucket of bolts was loading it's stun darts which were hidden under its wrists but she also doubted it would have any affect on the heavily built Trandoshan with its blocky horned head and a dangerous grin with rows of sharp pointy teeth.
Chat'ka put both of her hands on the table as a sign of no agression involved although Anin was hesistant, she did the same.
"Senatii ha grandrin una Red Fyre ali grandrin ne. Rediss halaa sin ma?" We may be Red Fyre or we might not. Who's asking? Chat'ka returned in fluent Trandosha.
The lizard-like creature of dinosaur proportions gave something of the equivalent to a grin though Anin didn't find it comforting at all.
"Holte Red Fyre. Kenek mila Black Sun, fordrin halaa resa tout." So you are Red Fyre. I am Kenek and I am a member of Black Sun, we wish to conduct negotiations with you. The Trandoshan replied. Chat'ks gave Kenek a toothy grin.
"Halaa nitka resa tout fordrin yola halaa Basicka." We'll negotiate as soon as you speak basic. Chat'ka replied as Kenel sat down across from her. Anin was perplexd by alien languages. Maybe Chat'ka was right, maybe she should learn something...
"Very well." The Trandoshan growled in Basic then looked at Anin annoyedly, "Is it that your human pet does not speak my language?" Anin narrowed her eyes toward the monstrous creature. Anin was tempted to make a Bantha call as a mock but decided against it.
"She is my partner and she is also of Red Fyre, watch your step Kenek because I don't favor disrespect of my ranks." Chat'ka warned her green eyes narrowing to slits.
"Fine." Kenek said, "Then let us get this over with. Black Sun's leader would like to personally speak with your admiral, Nashir Ellem." He began. Ah, yet another chauvinist. Anin thought. Nashir Ellem a.k.a. Kira Lakasha.
Most people believed that the admiral of Red Fyre was a human male since that was the allias given to the real leader, Kira Lakasha, a human female from Yaga Minor who knew the Black Market and underworld just as well as she knew her blaster holster. Since she was very good at frauding identities and playing around with Galactic money transactions Kira managed to slip through the galaxy unnoticed.
It was enough to know a female ran the organization that Anin joined quickly after she was set freed from the Star Destroyer 'Emperor's Wrath' after she was falsely accused of being a Rebel Spy on Coruscant.
Stars! Anin thought, you'd think conning a stormtrooper would end you up with accusations for being a Rebel? Talk about how messed up the Imperial justice system is...
"As you wish." Kenel replied bluntly.
"No one meets the admiral." Chat'ka added simply. Anin wondered what type of negotiating skills Chat'ka had since she had never been out with her before onher ventured.
"Ah, but Black Sun could supply sufficient funs and insurance for the journey to Imperial Center." Kenek bribed. As in what? Anin thought... insurance into Imperial torture chambers. She shuddered at the thought. "And Black Sun has a proposal to make you." Anin leaned back comfortably then subtly slipped one of her hands back down to the hoster. She didn't like this.
Funny, she thought, Ampi hadn't said anything sarcastic yet. She wondered if the droid was intimidated for once in its binary lifetime.
"I'm listening." Chat'ka said clasping her hands on the scarred table.
"Black Sun can offer you 1,000,000,000 credits if you could manage to pirate a certain Imperial ship yard for it. We are well aware of your exploits and we would be needing such help. A few destroyers is enough to aid or bussiness of... transportation."
Yeah, Anin thought sardonically, transportation of glitterstim and other spices to make a market off of poor alien worlds and addict them to the spice. Black Sun was a spice trafficking organization in which it made most of it's money from.
"We don't accept blood money." Anin replied seriously. She had seen the affect of spice on small unknown alien colonies in the Rim as well as in Inva-Sec, the sector in Imperial Center put off for aliens. They made them look worse than a bunch of swaggering storm troopers any day. She wondered in there were any stormtroopers addicted to the spice Black Sun sold.
Chat'ka grinned at her as if she had said the right thing.
"She is right, Kenek, tell your Black Sun leader that we do not accept the money you make out of the lives of civilian populations." Chat'ka told him then added something in an alien language. The Trandoshan's yellow eyes were fired with warning.
"You better watch your step scum." Kenek warned, "I was ordered to make one of you an example if you don't comply to our propsal. Black Sun does not play games." Chat'ka stood up from the table as well as Anin keeping her hand steady on the blaster. Ampi followed in suite behind her his repulsor engines making a light buzzing sound as he did so.
The brown Trandoshan had already taken out his heavy blaster brandishing it before them. Anin noticed the movements of dark cloaked figures in the tavern as if they too were reaching for weapons. Sith, Anin thought, just as I figured we were being flanked all along. Most likely their out for capture, not kill and they want to discover where our head quarters are at. Other thoughts went through her head, those of escape. Two of the cloaked figures had already gone to blocka the door. Three bounty hunters at the bar, who were most likely paid had turned their attention toward Anin and Chat'ka.
Yes, this was a plan to capture them. Others in the bar moved away to stare and a couple of Jawas ducked under a table. The clicking sound of loaded blasters and opening vibro-blades made a dangerous symphony of its own to the two agents. This wasn't good. A shot was fired out of nowhere and it hit Kenel straight between the eyes.
"DUCK!" Chat'ka warned to Anin who had already jumped over the bar table killing one of the Bounty Hunters. But it seemed that they weren't the only two fighting against the mob of paid thugs. As she shot at a few other alien mercenaries she recognized the silver gray eyes of Mada Anatur and the blondish hair of Dera Strike, two of Red Fyre's prominent commanders. Then she saw Ace, one of the other operative shoot at a few other of the Black Sun assassins before they could shoot at him.
Ace jumped over the bar table. "Needing help?"
"How'd you get here!?" Anin demanded over the blaster fire, she jerked to her right as a blaster bolt nearly hit her.
"I'll tell you after the party is over!" He said as he shot toward two rodian agents.
Some party, Anin thought grimly.
* * *
On board the SD *Chimera* Lt. Pelleaon looked nervously towards the glowing red eyes of the blue skinned alien that sat in the commander's chair on the destroyer's bridge. Grand Admiral Thrawn was an enigmatic leader who was recently assigned to this destroyer after Grand Admiral Suki's untimely end at Bilbringi. The details of that story Pelleaon didn't know and neither did he want to think of it. Suki was a failure, ambitious, and stupid in all aspects and Pelleaon felt guilty for the satisfaction he felt at the impulsive Admiral's demotion and expulsion from the Chimera fleet.
He gave a brief salute toward the Grand Admiral. Thrawn looked at him calmly with no expression relevant toward the situation nor any acknowledgement of Pellaeon's errand which was completed. "I have found the records you wanted, sir." Pelleaon told Grand Admiral Thrawn. His blue hand plucked the data card from Pelleaon and Pelleaon stood at attention.
"At ease Lieutenent." Thrawn said in his silky tone of voice, "Did you discover all you could of Black Sun?" Pellaeon did not understand why the Grand Admiral wanted information on Black Sun. But then again it would be logical look up one Crime Organization's records to discover it's connection to the Pirate Organization of Red Fyre.
"Everything, sir. From its leader, Guri, to the lower half of scum and spice trading merchants they deal with." Pelleaon said. Thrawn pressed on the holo chip and a minuture holographic figure a beautiful blond woman and her statistics came up.
"Interesting." Thrawn commented calmly, "And yet there is no more record of her before two years ago?" Pelleaon shrugged.
"Sir, we can find nothing more about her. It seems as if she's very good at hiding her origins." Pelleaon told him, "As far as we know her head quarters are unknown though there have been sighting of her in Inva-Sec as well as other parts of Imperial Center but she is apt at disappearing and leaving no traces."
"And what of Red Fyre's admiral?" Thrawn inquired. Pelleaon handed him another data card and holo chip. Thrawn took it gingerly.
"Red Fyre's admiral is reclusive for the most part and we have little information on him." again Thrawn turned on the hand held holo-chip and it showed a young man with deep red hair clipped short and brown eyes his arms crossed before him and his look was one of seriousness.
"Nashir Ellem did Imperial service for two years then illegally bailed out. We believe he has connection to the Rebel Alliance, although he did not defect, and other Black Market sources. He's very good with tactical skills also, might I add, sir." Pelleaon said.
"Hmm.." Thrawn hummed, "Interesting indeed. We shall see about tactical..."
* * *
Across from his black marble desk a rather nervous vigo watched Xizor though he masked his apprehension. Of course this wasn't the most influential of his nine vigos, the council which helped run and operate XTS and sometimes did backtracking jobs in black sun, this was one of his most uninfluential official. Xizor had plans that would perhaps raise the middle aged man's morale. Joran Laceus was quite malleable a being.
He wasn't the strongest of men, though he had an intellegence that replaced that of most of the vigos. He was lanky and pale with long blond hair tied back his pale blue eyes always cautious and fearful of something. In his black uniform and XTS insignia he seemed somewhat more authorative though Xizor needed this man's resourcefulness and intellgence now. He wanted to be the one in lead of this operation to bring down Red Fyre but at the same time he wanted to bring down Thrawn.
Xizor had thought before that he was the only non-human among the Imperial ranks and one of the Emperor's closest advisors but now that Thrawn entered this petty war between the Emperor's 'pets' which also included Vader, Xizor thought grimly, now he had to eliminate Thrawn's presence in the game at once. But he needed patience. And now he had to discover as much as he could about Red Fyre Pirate Affiliation.
There wasn't much known. He did know who the pirate admiral was, a charismatic young man to say the least that remained reclusive for the most part. RF had a very good intellegence network, some of his agents even had trouble following the chain to it's source although they were still working on it. They had a good crew and fleet, a good amount of slicers and con artists working for them and the most important ingredient which Xizor's own men lacked: true loyalty. It was rumored in the Outer Rim that no one could corrupt this crew.
Although greed was the main weakness of most fools in the Outer Rim it seemed that Nashir Ellem ran by a different policy. It reminded Xizor of that fool Booster Terrik as well as Talon Karrde working their operation in Rishi. Yes, Xizor wished his men could be as efficiently loyal but ruling through fear kept them well in line as well as disciplined. Terrik's men were lacking in any case and as far as Xizor knew of their trivial smuggling schemes it seemed that Corellian Security was getting closer and closer at taking them both out.
Perhaps Karrde and Terrik could be of use later on. Perhaps.
Prince Xizor now acknowledged the hesistant man sitting across from him and gave a humorless smile.
"There is a good reason I have called you here, Vigo Laceus." Xizor stated in a calm tone. He needed to get this young man comfortable before he attempted to tell him anything. Joran nodded, though cautiously, "Tell me, Joran, have you ever heard of Red Fyre Pirate Affiliation?" Xizor questioned casually. Joran's blue eyes lighted up interested.
"Yes, my lord, I have." Joran began straightening up on his chair as Xizor toyed with the expensive corusca gen on his desk, "Red Fyre has been a danger to most of our transports coming in from the Outer Rim as well as from the coorperate sector." Then more quietly he added, "They've come menacingly close to the Imperial project taking place in the Endor system, m'lord and after the pirating in Bilbringi the Emperor has taken steps to secure those transports. There is little else I know of them except that their exploits and dare is very high stakes."
A good point, Xizor thought, Red Fyre liked to higher the stakes.
"Yes, very true," He told his Vigo, "And I need your help in finding out more about them." Xizor told the young man. He leaned forward on his desk conspirateally, "It is not only the fact that Red Fyre does have big exploits and the Rim as well as their recent plunder in the Bilbringi ship yards I fear that if we don't act soon the Empire will probably lose another ship yard. You know what that means, Joran, are profits lower at XTS." Xizor told the man, "I need you and Vigo Harlik to investigate Red Fyre, I have chosen you for your intellegence and Harlik for his resourcefullness with the underlings in the Galactic Black Market." Xizor told him. Joran swallowed.
"But m'lord, isn't dealings in the Galactic Black Market illegal. If the Emperor discover that-"
Xizor lightly tapped the human's warm skinned cheek reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Joran, I have the Emperor utmost blessings in this investigations. He is well aware of Red Fyre's progress and he wanted me to do something about it and I need you and Harlik to aid me in this. So will you take my proposal?" Of course he would, thought Xizor without doubt, no one defied him.
"Certainly sir, if the Emperor wills it." Xizor groaned inwardly, this man was another of COMPNOR's twisted minds. Xizor's replied in a shadowed tone.
"Yes, he wills it, and you will do what he wills."
* * *
TO BE CONTINUED...
Chapter 2- Fatal Aquaintainces
(FEATURING: Anin Darkstar... courtesy of Kato)
Mos Eisly.
Disgusting, terribly unsanitary, the food is barely edible (the best place to eat is owned by a Hutt), not to mention the smell of blaster ozone concocted with the scents of ship oil and greasy Corellian food made bantha puddu actually smell good. Stars knows what the Hutts here consider perfume! The off-white walls of the various buildings already had slime or mold growing on it. But one wouldn't know what grows on the walls in Mos Eisly.
Better to avoid the fresher stations, Anin Darkstar noted thoughtfully, for all we know a mynock might come up out of waste dispenser bowl. Hmmm... Good point. Her short black hair was already dirty with sand and her face felt as if it was going to be burned if she stayed out any longer.
"My circuits are melting!" complained Ampi. Anin looked at the jumbled up mix of chrome and gold floating on a black half worn orb repulsor lift with it's skeletal technical arms raised up in whining jitters and the one green crossair sensor seemingly staring at her impunity. Anin raised an eyebrow.
"Feel lucky we're not in Nar Shaadda." She told the floating droid.
"Sith!" Ampi cursed, the floating droid simply had no chip for modesty, "Thank the Maker we're not in Nar Shaadda. Another blaster scorch and I'll be scarred for life!" Anin rolled her eyes as they strolled down the sandy roads she swore under her breath as a swoop rider darted past her spitting sand in her face.
"*&^&%$%$!!!" whizzed Ampi with a string of programmed curses Anin had no understanding for.
"You can say that again." She told the droid dryly and looked at it's sand covered niches. Ampi put down his arms and said nothing his green sensor turning red emoting feelings of anger and annoyance. Anin smirked, the bucket bolts actually looked threatning.
"Alright, where are we going?" It demanded. Anin sighed pulling up the light tan leather sleeve of her duster (no pun intended), and glanced at her chrono.
"We have to find Salumbre's Tavern and meet Chet'ka there for whatever problem she's having with one of Black Sun's agents." Anin muttered mentioning the second Red Fyre agent, "And we have another half hour to find the sithin' place." Ampi buzzed again.
"Why not ask one of the locals?" He told her as if she were stupid. Anin looked up at the heavy armed aliens and humans in the space ports, bounty hunters, smugglers, and spacers alike with battle scars patched eyes, and not-so-very-friendly looks on their faces.
"Wanna another blaster scorch?" She implied sarcastically.
"You are an idiot." The droid said his sensor still red.
"Can it, you pile of circuits or I'll take you apart and spread your pieces to all sides of the galaxy so you'll never be put together again." She warned walking ahead. The droid made a very human gesture floating right in front of her and crossing its pipe-like arms.
"Sorry to put it," Ampi replied sardonically, "But that override code has no effect on my being." Anin narrowed her eyes. Ampi was probabaly the only droid in this galaxy in which that warning phrase took no effect at all.
"We'll see when I find that hydrospanner." She stormed ahead Ampi following not saying a word. Droids these days, she thought, they have no respect for human masters. Well... it was true she could get a programmer to make Ampi more amicable, but his personality was just what she needed to make him an interesting couterpart. More interesting and trutworthy than most other creatures that was for sure. She knew Ampi would keep any information loaded onto him secret, there was no doubt of that.
Anin and Ampi whined through the narrow alleys and streets. Anin simply gave up at finding the Tavern and finally decided to ask someone. She saw an amiable looking sullustan spacer and asked him where the tavern was.
"Uhi nal shi'tti boun far'assi cona drat." It replied pointing ahead. Anin blinked. What?
"He says go straight ahead and the Tavern is to your right." Ampi offered conveniently. Anin sighed exasperated.
"Thanks." She told the droid as she went ahead. And walla! There was the tavern.
"I TOLD you we should have asked a local in the first place!" Ampi bragged his sensor turning green again in common satisfaction. Anin rolled her eyed again.
"Why don't you switch off?" She offered. As she walked into the tavern she found the air utterly putrid humod and heavy. It stank of cigarra smoke and overly fermented Sullustan rum. Yummy, she thought sarcastically, this was just such a delicious place to negotiate important affairs of bussiness. Anin figured the Black Sun agent chose this place for strategic reasons, who knew how many of Black Sun's thugs hanged out here anyways?
She ignored the suspicious and ravenous glares from the crowd of scum as she walked toward the table where Chat'ka sat. Chat'ka smiled at her her deep green eyes brightening and her ornately tattooed leku twitching expectantly.
"Hali san'sya mor'i shashlidash?" Chat'ka told Anin. Anin shook her head and smiled sitting sent to her noticing how their table was set apart in one of the more shadowy corners of the tavern.
"Speak basic I don't understand a sithin' word your saying." She told Chat'ka. The Twi'lek female laughed in good humor.
"You know, Anindarkstar." said Chat'ka in her heavily accented basic, "You should take lessons in alien languages they are extremely important in places like this." She advised.
"That's what protocol droids were invented for." Anin replied, "Besides I can manage." Ampi made a non-commital sound, "I told you to switch off." She added. Again Chat'ka smiled humored by the other agent.
"And yet you can't stand a protocol droid. You humand depend too much on technology." She observed. Anin shrugged feeling nauseous in the damp disgusting air of the tavern. Not to mention it looked like someone had attempted to murder their table the old and new blaster scars quite visible. She traced one of the dark deep scars, a newer one thoughtfully.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She replied to Chat'ka's kind advice, "Next thing you'll be telling me is that the Emperor depends too much on his stormtroopers and they can't even aim much less fight, and we both know that for a fact." Anin added quite seriously. Chat'ka patted her on the back.
"And yet there are still other wonders unaccounted for."
Anin brought her finger up from the table looking at it with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, like when was the last time they cleaned this table?" A heavy armed brown scaled Trandoshan dressed mainly in black walked up to their table. Anin slowly put her hand to her holster under it. Chat'ka's smile turned a stolid expression of warning and her leku twitched to the equivalent of a human shiver.
"Galliki ohna fridrin Red Fyre?"Are you the Red Fyre agents? The Trandoshan asked in a slow deep growling tone.
Anin understood none of it and Ampi had already floated safely behind her. Anin figured the bucket of bolts was loading it's stun darts which were hidden under its wrists but she also doubted it would have any affect on the heavily built Trandoshan with its blocky horned head and a dangerous grin with rows of sharp pointy teeth.
Chat'ka put both of her hands on the table as a sign of no agression involved although Anin was hesistant, she did the same.
"Senatii ha grandrin una Red Fyre ali grandrin ne. Rediss halaa sin ma?" We may be Red Fyre or we might not. Who's asking? Chat'ka returned in fluent Trandosha.
The lizard-like creature of dinosaur proportions gave something of the equivalent to a grin though Anin didn't find it comforting at all.
"Holte Red Fyre. Kenek mila Black Sun, fordrin halaa resa tout." So you are Red Fyre. I am Kenek and I am a member of Black Sun, we wish to conduct negotiations with you. The Trandoshan replied. Chat'ks gave Kenek a toothy grin.
"Halaa nitka resa tout fordrin yola halaa Basicka." We'll negotiate as soon as you speak basic. Chat'ka replied as Kenel sat down across from her. Anin was perplexd by alien languages. Maybe Chat'ka was right, maybe she should learn something...
"Very well." The Trandoshan growled in Basic then looked at Anin annoyedly, "Is it that your human pet does not speak my language?" Anin narrowed her eyes toward the monstrous creature. Anin was tempted to make a Bantha call as a mock but decided against it.
"She is my partner and she is also of Red Fyre, watch your step Kenek because I don't favor disrespect of my ranks." Chat'ka warned her green eyes narrowing to slits.
"Fine." Kenek said, "Then let us get this over with. Black Sun's leader would like to personally speak with your admiral, Nashir Ellem." He began. Ah, yet another chauvinist. Anin thought. Nashir Ellem a.k.a. Kira Lakasha.
Most people believed that the admiral of Red Fyre was a human male since that was the allias given to the real leader, Kira Lakasha, a human female from Yaga Minor who knew the Black Market and underworld just as well as she knew her blaster holster. Since she was very good at frauding identities and playing around with Galactic money transactions Kira managed to slip through the galaxy unnoticed.
It was enough to know a female ran the organization that Anin joined quickly after she was set freed from the Star Destroyer 'Emperor's Wrath' after she was falsely accused of being a Rebel Spy on Coruscant.
Stars! Anin thought, you'd think conning a stormtrooper would end you up with accusations for being a Rebel? Talk about how messed up the Imperial justice system is...
"As you wish." Kenel replied bluntly.
"No one meets the admiral." Chat'ka added simply. Anin wondered what type of negotiating skills Chat'ka had since she had never been out with her before onher ventured.
"Ah, but Black Sun could supply sufficient funs and insurance for the journey to Imperial Center." Kenek bribed. As in what? Anin thought... insurance into Imperial torture chambers. She shuddered at the thought. "And Black Sun has a proposal to make you." Anin leaned back comfortably then subtly slipped one of her hands back down to the hoster. She didn't like this.
Funny, she thought, Ampi hadn't said anything sarcastic yet. She wondered if the droid was intimidated for once in its binary lifetime.
"I'm listening." Chat'ka said clasping her hands on the scarred table.
"Black Sun can offer you 1,000,000,000 credits if you could manage to pirate a certain Imperial ship yard for it. We are well aware of your exploits and we would be needing such help. A few destroyers is enough to aid or bussiness of... transportation."
Yeah, Anin thought sardonically, transportation of glitterstim and other spices to make a market off of poor alien worlds and addict them to the spice. Black Sun was a spice trafficking organization in which it made most of it's money from.
"We don't accept blood money." Anin replied seriously. She had seen the affect of spice on small unknown alien colonies in the Rim as well as in Inva-Sec, the sector in Imperial Center put off for aliens. They made them look worse than a bunch of swaggering storm troopers any day. She wondered in there were any stormtroopers addicted to the spice Black Sun sold.
Chat'ka grinned at her as if she had said the right thing.
"She is right, Kenek, tell your Black Sun leader that we do not accept the money you make out of the lives of civilian populations." Chat'ka told him then added something in an alien language. The Trandoshan's yellow eyes were fired with warning.
"You better watch your step scum." Kenek warned, "I was ordered to make one of you an example if you don't comply to our propsal. Black Sun does not play games." Chat'ka stood up from the table as well as Anin keeping her hand steady on the blaster. Ampi followed in suite behind her his repulsor engines making a light buzzing sound as he did so.
The brown Trandoshan had already taken out his heavy blaster brandishing it before them. Anin noticed the movements of dark cloaked figures in the tavern as if they too were reaching for weapons. Sith, Anin thought, just as I figured we were being flanked all along. Most likely their out for capture, not kill and they want to discover where our head quarters are at. Other thoughts went through her head, those of escape. Two of the cloaked figures had already gone to blocka the door. Three bounty hunters at the bar, who were most likely paid had turned their attention toward Anin and Chat'ka.
Yes, this was a plan to capture them. Others in the bar moved away to stare and a couple of Jawas ducked under a table. The clicking sound of loaded blasters and opening vibro-blades made a dangerous symphony of its own to the two agents. This wasn't good. A shot was fired out of nowhere and it hit Kenel straight between the eyes.
"DUCK!" Chat'ka warned to Anin who had already jumped over the bar table killing one of the Bounty Hunters. But it seemed that they weren't the only two fighting against the mob of paid thugs. As she shot at a few other alien mercenaries she recognized the silver gray eyes of Mada Anatur and the blondish hair of Dera Strike, two of Red Fyre's prominent commanders. Then she saw Ace, one of the other operative shoot at a few other of the Black Sun assassins before they could shoot at him.
Ace jumped over the bar table. "Needing help?"
"How'd you get here!?" Anin demanded over the blaster fire, she jerked to her right as a blaster bolt nearly hit her.
"I'll tell you after the party is over!" He said as he shot toward two rodian agents.
Some party, Anin thought grimly.
* * *
On board the SD *Chimera* Lt. Pelleaon looked nervously towards the glowing red eyes of the blue skinned alien that sat in the commander's chair on the destroyer's bridge. Grand Admiral Thrawn was an enigmatic leader who was recently assigned to this destroyer after Grand Admiral Suki's untimely end at Bilbringi. The details of that story Pelleaon didn't know and neither did he want to think of it. Suki was a failure, ambitious, and stupid in all aspects and Pelleaon felt guilty for the satisfaction he felt at the impulsive Admiral's demotion and expulsion from the Chimera fleet.
He gave a brief salute toward the Grand Admiral. Thrawn looked at him calmly with no expression relevant toward the situation nor any acknowledgement of Pellaeon's errand which was completed. "I have found the records you wanted, sir." Pelleaon told Grand Admiral Thrawn. His blue hand plucked the data card from Pelleaon and Pelleaon stood at attention.
"At ease Lieutenent." Thrawn said in his silky tone of voice, "Did you discover all you could of Black Sun?" Pellaeon did not understand why the Grand Admiral wanted information on Black Sun. But then again it would be logical look up one Crime Organization's records to discover it's connection to the Pirate Organization of Red Fyre.
"Everything, sir. From its leader, Guri, to the lower half of scum and spice trading merchants they deal with." Pelleaon said. Thrawn pressed on the holo chip and a minuture holographic figure a beautiful blond woman and her statistics came up.
"Interesting." Thrawn commented calmly, "And yet there is no more record of her before two years ago?" Pelleaon shrugged.
"Sir, we can find nothing more about her. It seems as if she's very good at hiding her origins." Pelleaon told him, "As far as we know her head quarters are unknown though there have been sighting of her in Inva-Sec as well as other parts of Imperial Center but she is apt at disappearing and leaving no traces."
"And what of Red Fyre's admiral?" Thrawn inquired. Pelleaon handed him another data card and holo chip. Thrawn took it gingerly.
"Red Fyre's admiral is reclusive for the most part and we have little information on him." again Thrawn turned on the hand held holo-chip and it showed a young man with deep red hair clipped short and brown eyes his arms crossed before him and his look was one of seriousness.
"Nashir Ellem did Imperial service for two years then illegally bailed out. We believe he has connection to the Rebel Alliance, although he did not defect, and other Black Market sources. He's very good with tactical skills also, might I add, sir." Pelleaon said.
"Hmm.." Thrawn hummed, "Interesting indeed. We shall see about tactical..."
* * *
Across from his black marble desk a rather nervous vigo watched Xizor though he masked his apprehension. Of course this wasn't the most influential of his nine vigos, the council which helped run and operate XTS and sometimes did backtracking jobs in black sun, this was one of his most uninfluential official. Xizor had plans that would perhaps raise the middle aged man's morale. Joran Laceus was quite malleable a being.
He wasn't the strongest of men, though he had an intellegence that replaced that of most of the vigos. He was lanky and pale with long blond hair tied back his pale blue eyes always cautious and fearful of something. In his black uniform and XTS insignia he seemed somewhat more authorative though Xizor needed this man's resourcefulness and intellgence now. He wanted to be the one in lead of this operation to bring down Red Fyre but at the same time he wanted to bring down Thrawn.
Xizor had thought before that he was the only non-human among the Imperial ranks and one of the Emperor's closest advisors but now that Thrawn entered this petty war between the Emperor's 'pets' which also included Vader, Xizor thought grimly, now he had to eliminate Thrawn's presence in the game at once. But he needed patience. And now he had to discover as much as he could about Red Fyre Pirate Affiliation.
There wasn't much known. He did know who the pirate admiral was, a charismatic young man to say the least that remained reclusive for the most part. RF had a very good intellegence network, some of his agents even had trouble following the chain to it's source although they were still working on it. They had a good crew and fleet, a good amount of slicers and con artists working for them and the most important ingredient which Xizor's own men lacked: true loyalty. It was rumored in the Outer Rim that no one could corrupt this crew.
Although greed was the main weakness of most fools in the Outer Rim it seemed that Nashir Ellem ran by a different policy. It reminded Xizor of that fool Booster Terrik as well as Talon Karrde working their operation in Rishi. Yes, Xizor wished his men could be as efficiently loyal but ruling through fear kept them well in line as well as disciplined. Terrik's men were lacking in any case and as far as Xizor knew of their trivial smuggling schemes it seemed that Corellian Security was getting closer and closer at taking them both out.
Perhaps Karrde and Terrik could be of use later on. Perhaps.
Prince Xizor now acknowledged the hesistant man sitting across from him and gave a humorless smile.
"There is a good reason I have called you here, Vigo Laceus." Xizor stated in a calm tone. He needed to get this young man comfortable before he attempted to tell him anything. Joran nodded, though cautiously, "Tell me, Joran, have you ever heard of Red Fyre Pirate Affiliation?" Xizor questioned casually. Joran's blue eyes lighted up interested.
"Yes, my lord, I have." Joran began straightening up on his chair as Xizor toyed with the expensive corusca gen on his desk, "Red Fyre has been a danger to most of our transports coming in from the Outer Rim as well as from the coorperate sector." Then more quietly he added, "They've come menacingly close to the Imperial project taking place in the Endor system, m'lord and after the pirating in Bilbringi the Emperor has taken steps to secure those transports. There is little else I know of them except that their exploits and dare is very high stakes."
A good point, Xizor thought, Red Fyre liked to higher the stakes.
"Yes, very true," He told his Vigo, "And I need your help in finding out more about them." Xizor told the young man. He leaned forward on his desk conspirateally, "It is not only the fact that Red Fyre does have big exploits and the Rim as well as their recent plunder in the Bilbringi ship yards I fear that if we don't act soon the Empire will probably lose another ship yard. You know what that means, Joran, are profits lower at XTS." Xizor told the man, "I need you and Vigo Harlik to investigate Red Fyre, I have chosen you for your intellegence and Harlik for his resourcefullness with the underlings in the Galactic Black Market." Xizor told him. Joran swallowed.
"But m'lord, isn't dealings in the Galactic Black Market illegal. If the Emperor discover that-"
Xizor lightly tapped the human's warm skinned cheek reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Joran, I have the Emperor utmost blessings in this investigations. He is well aware of Red Fyre's progress and he wanted me to do something about it and I need you and Harlik to aid me in this. So will you take my proposal?" Of course he would, thought Xizor without doubt, no one defied him.
"Certainly sir, if the Emperor wills it." Xizor groaned inwardly, this man was another of COMPNOR's twisted minds. Xizor's replied in a shadowed tone.
"Yes, he wills it, and you will do what he wills."
* * *
TO BE CONTINUED...