I just wanted to say that Star Wars does not belong to me and I will not profit off of this and I'd appreciate it if nobody used my characters without askin first (not that you'd want to). Also, if someone could please tell me how to make the text normal-looking in notepad I'd be most grateful.
The Thief -
By Mer
Silus:
Silus Pontulk could not imagine a worse mess. Jabba the Hutt would arrive back at the palace in two hours and notice his favorite Ynarian gem was missing. It would only be a matter of time then until he'd discover that as Chief of the Palace Guard, Silus was to blame for the thief's evading capture, and soon after that...well, Silus didn't want to think about that. There were only two paths he could see to take, and neither seemed very promising. He could either try to find the thief or get off-planet before Jabba returned. Worst case scenarios: he would be unable to locate the thief or the gem and would face a slow and agonizing death of Jabba's choice, or he would try to get as far away from Tatooine as possible (which Jabba would no doubt expect) and be hunted down by bounty hunters to face a slow and agonizing death of Jabba's choice. No, those ideas wouldn't work unless he found the thief.
And how was he supposed to find one lousy gem thief on all of Tatooine that had disappeared without a trace? Silus knew just how impossible it was to track anyone on the planet - it was the perfect hiding place for those who want to avoid being found. Wait a minute, Silus thought, that's was it! Jabba would expect him to try to escape to another planet, but if Silus could lay low on Tatooine he'd have a better chance of avoiding detection. And with the immediate risk of slow and agonizing death out of the way, he'd be in a perfect position to try to track down the Ynarian gem thief.
Majiri:
"So, my mysterious friend," said a low, silky voice over com-link, "you say you have some merchandise that will interest me?"
"Maybe," a gruff voice replied, "if you don't mind owning it secondhand of Jabba the Hutt."
"Really?" Said the silky voice with a touch of amusement. "I must say I am impressed. Might I ask how you accomplished this feat?" This caused the other to laugh shortly in a manner so harsh it seemed more of a cough or a bark.
"I would love to tell," said the gruff voice, "but my secrets are to remain my secrets." The silky voice let out a sigh audible through the com-link.
"If you say it must be so. Now tell me, what is it you have for me?"
"A high quality Ynarian gem, perfect red coloration and brilliant luster. I've heard it is Jabba's favorite, or was, and it's easy to see why."
"That is very interesting," said the silky voice slowly, "but what use do I have for a pretty stone?"
"Come now," the gruff voice said scoldingly, "don't try to be smart. Both you and I know of your dealings with inner system aristocrats like the Oolra. I'd say you'd have no trouble finding a use for this pretty stone."
Indeed the silky voiced dealer knew very well that this gem was extremely valuable to him in his business with the Oolra, but what he didn't know was how in space anyone else could know that. It was really quite unsettling that this thief he knew practically nothing of seemed to know everything about him. There was a moment's pause as he thought this over.
"All right," said the silky voice at last with an air of defeat, "name your price."
"That's better," said the gruff voice, changing to a more friendly tone (if such a harsh vocalization could be called friendly). "Considering the rarity of the gem and the possible 150,000 credits you may receive for it from some Oolrani collector I'd say 100,000 credits is quite fair, wouldn't you?"
"Y-yes," said the shocked silky voice. Then regaining some composure, the silky voice asked, "Just out of curiosity, why don't you take the gem out of Hutt space yourself, since you know so well where to sell it?"
"Stealing is my business," said the gruff voice, "I'll leave the smuggling to you."
"All right then. Where do you think would be the best location of this transaction?"
"There's a little shop in Mos Edaan space station that sells a variety of technological antiques. Do you know of the place?"
"Yes," replied the silky voice calmly.
"Come tomorrow at midday to that shop and a servant girl will ask you if you would like to see some of their other merchandise. Reply yes, and follow her to the basement area of the shop. There the exchange will be made - 100,000 credits for one Ynarian gem. I trust you will not try anything that would jeopardize our favorable business relationship."
"Of course, and I trust you'll do the same."
"Of course," barked the gruff voice, "it is a pleasure doing business with you, honorable Bona Shaiir."
"And it is a pleasure doing business with you, my mysterious friend, though I wish I could meet you face to face."
"Perhaps someday you will..." With that the gruff-voiced thief cut off the com-link and there was silence. Bona Shaiir sat for a moment in thought, and then stood and walked out of the room. An old friend had stopped by in town claiming to need his help, so for the moment Bona forgot about his strange business relations and went to meet his friend at the space station.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the com-link the thief expertly removed the voice modifier from her mouth and leaned forward with a smile to gaze again at her sparkling red prize. Her voice back to normal, she spoke to no one with a tone of amusement.
"Perhaps we'll meet face to face someday sooner than you think, Honorable Bona Shaiir, perhaps someday sooner than you think..."
Silus:
Silus's mind felt numb as he gathered all the things he could carry as fast as he could and tried to comprehend what he was getting himself into. He left the palace immediately, taking a route known only to him and the other palace security to avoid detection. When he was out of the palace he hopped into his personal speeder, and without any idea where he was going, flew into the desert sunset. It was not at all a relaxing experience, racing away from most likely death at Jabba's hand to most likely death at the hand of cutthroats and villains. Silus was still wondering whether he should have stayed at the palace when he found himself in some small town on the outskirts of Mos Edaan space station. Still, he thought as his speeder decelerated, if he had stayed he would be killed as soon as Jabba arrived in about another hour from now. This way he could live a little longer, or at least try to.
As soon as Silus entered the small town he found a ship dealer who was just about to close shop for the day. He wouldn't need his speeder so Silus sold it to the dealer for less than it was worth, but at least now he had some cash. After a few minutes of wandering around the town and being eyed warily by its rather unseemly inhabitants, Silus found an inn of some sort and stepped inside.
"Choto maputini?" Asked the innkeeper suspiciously. It was a thin but tough-looking brown creature with cracked and dried skin and two red eyes that slit vertically. Silus had never seen such a creature before, and was startled for a moment. Then he realized the innkeeper had spoken to him in Bocce, and trying to remember the few words he had learned of the language, he made a hesitant reply.
"Kosi, da tofa naro basic?" At this the innkeeper's small mouth opened wide to reveal three rows of stained blue teeth, and he made a hacking noise. Silus could hardly disguise his revulsion at what as best he could tell was the innkeeper's laugh, although certainly not a friendly one.
"Yes," said the innkeeper between hacks, "if what you meant to say is do I understand basic, then yes." The innkeeper continued laughing/hacking for a moment while Silus tried to force a smile and wondered what the blue suns he had said in Bocce. When the innkeeper was finally finished, Silus was blushing as he spoke.
"I would like a room for the night, and something to eat if it's not too much trouble."
"100 credits, room's up the stairs on the far left," said the innkeeper as he snatched up a flat disk riddled with holes in his clawed, three-digit hand and held it out to Silus, "you can get what you want at the bar, no charge." Silus looked behind him in the direction the innkeeper had indicated and saw a hodgepodge of different aliens and a few humans in various states of depression, rage and drunkenness. Maybe he wasn't so hungry after all, Silus thought. He turned back around to face the innkeeper.
"Thank you," said Silus as he took the disk from the innkeeper and handed him the credits. The innkeeper grunted at the thanks, and immediately busied himself with the money.
As Silus walked down the grimy hallway and up the stairs he noticed more and more an unpleasant odor that seemed to seep through the walls and thrive in the hot and strangely humid air of the inn. When he got to his room he was at first unsure what to do with the disk that had been given to him, but after a little experimentation he discovered it unlocked his room when pressed against a small triangular panel and turned it. As he did the plain black door opened with a grinding noise, and Silus beheld the plainest and dirtiest room he had ever seen.
The only light was from a small circular window on the far wall, which was now useless because of the growing darkness of night. A flat, stained floor mat that Silus assumed was a bed occupied the far-left corner and a wooden table and chair occupied the far right.
"It could be worse," Silus said aloud, though he didn't believe it for a moment. He had paid for the room though, so he might as well use it. He entered and shut the door, then moved slowly over to the bed and lay down to try to get some sleep. As that attempt failed, he tried to look on the bright side of things. Filthy as it was, the hotel was so common and out of the way that it offered the protection of ambiguity. Jabba would be at the palace just now, Silus thought. If Silus had stayed he would be dead by now. At least by leaving the palace he could have one more night's sleep in a dirty, broken-down hotel, knowing that if anyone at the palace had seen him go (which was most likely) he'd awake to a blaster at his forehead. Then again, that wasn't a very comforting thought.
Majiri:
Following the months of tedious planning and preparation the past few days of actually executing one of her greatest thefts to date had been quite exciting, but now that things were settling down again Majiri felt the usual boredom begin to set in. She sat alone in the basement of her technological antique shop and let out a sigh with her head in her hands. The faint lighting of the room caught the sparkle of the Ynarian gem in its open case on the table in front of her.
"That's the problem with being such a great thief, you know," she said to the gem as if it were a close friend, "there's never any challenge in it." She paused for a moment, and blinked her bright silver-gray eyes.
"Maybe I should have left a some calling card or some trail for the guards to follow. It'd make life more interesting if they'd at least try to catch me."
Majiri began drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair. She was restless, and she knew she would not sleep before the transaction with Bona Shaiir tomorrow. It was time to go out, to find some action, and maybe even celebrate her success. But first, of course, she had to take the usual steps to hide her true appearance, and in turn her identity. It was extra insurance against ever being caught or even recognized while outside of the shop, and she'd gotten so used to changing identity every time she went out that it seemed a part of her normal routine. Like with stealing, disguising herself was a part of Majiri, and also like with stealing she had to admit, she was good at it.
Within ten minutes the transformation was complete. She had become just one of the many strange characters who traversed the surface of Tatooine. The costume she had chosen was one of her favorites because it was a design she had personally created. There was a worn facemask with insect-like eyes and two black tubes connecting to a filtering contraption on the back of the suit. The suit itself was made of leathery brown material with some gray plating on the shoulders, chest, and arms. The most important thing about her costume was that it disguised her perfectly; the fasemask and suit cloaked her voice, appearance, and even her scent from would-be enemies.
There was just one more precaution she had to take. Leaving the gem in the shop would be a problem if someone broke in while she was gone, and it was also too risky to take it with her through Mos Edaan. Majiri's solution to this was a counterfeit Ynarian gem. It had cost less than 50 credits in a backward space-station marketplace, but at first glance it looked real enough to fool most amateur gemologists. There was also a tiny transmitter inside its case that Majiri could activate that would alert her with a beeping noise in the almost invisible earpiece she always wore if it was opened.
Majiri closed the case with the real gem in it and placed it within an antiquated radio communications system, one of the many pieces of outdated junk in the basement. Then she grabbed the counterfeit gem in the identical case, activated the transmitter, and placed it out on the table where the real gem had sat moments before. Just in case anyone came looking for the gem they would find the fake one immediately and open it, which would let Majiri know someone was snooping around the shop. It was a complex security system, but Majiri knew she couldn't be too careful with a gem worth 100,000 credits. Plus, the counterfeit gem would come in handy tomorrow if Bona Shaiir tried to double-cross her. Majiri figured that taking care of two mynocks with one stone wasn't a bad deal. So with her costume in place and her Ynarian prize secure for tomorrow, Majiri set out to wander through the many streets of Mos Edaan.
At first it was a very uninteresting walk and Majiri wondered if it might have been more interesting to stay in her room and stare at the ceiling. It was nice to get out into the fresh air, but the face mask did not allow her to really enjoy that fresh air, and the sights and sounds of the city were just as they always were: dusty, ugly and boring. There were just the usual merchants and scum in the streets, and as night was falling it seemed as though her coming here had been a waste of time. But just as she was approaching the very edge of Mos Edaan and considering finding the nearest cantina for some refreshment, she spotted someone who caught her interest.
A young and not at all unattractive man with brown hair was walking about slowly, seemingly unfamiliar with the city and looking for a place to spend the night. He wore finer clothing than any of the other inhabitants in this area, and so was obviously not one of the common merchants or criminals. By the insignia on the shoulder of his jacket Majiri could tell he was a palace guard, most likely at Jabba's Palace, but she had no idea why such a person would want to come to Mos Edaan. Perhaps he was on vacation from his work, but no, Mos Edaan was hardly the dream vacationing spot, especially for someone traveling alone. But what other reason could there be for his coming here?
Majiri was still pondering this question long after the young man had found and entered an inn and night had fallen, when she saw something else that sharpened her interest. Coming from the same direction as the young man had come, a large, dog-faced creature with pointed ears came into view. It was a biped that had a fine coat of fur and two hands, each with five clawed fingers that gripped a very large blaster. It wore a slightly shredded pair of black pants with a hole for its tail and a belt that held a set of small, unconcealed throwing knives. Other than that it had no shirt (probably to show off its muscles), no shoes (revealing two clawed and callused feet/paws), and three metallic rings pierced through one of its pointed ears. Majiri's guess was that it wanted to look intimidating, and if so it had succeeded.
Majiri noticed how it moved about deliberately, glancing at the ground as if searching for footprints and sniffing the air. She thought she remembered hearing about creatures like this one, called Bloodtrackers. They lived on a remote and isolated moon somewhere beyond known territories, and only a handful left their system because they earned good money as skilled bounty hunters. They were fast, agile, strong, and had an excellent sense of smell that was rumored to give them the ability to track their prey through space. Majiri didn't know if she believed such rumors, but one thing she did know: if a Bloodtracker was after her, she would have to be extra careful.
For the moment though she was wearing her scent-proof costume, so Majiri knew there was no harm in watching it to see what it did. Its nose twitched a few more times as it moved toward the inn. Then it stopped and drew back its lips in what seemed like a smile, revealing canines that could slice through bone. Whoever it was looking for, it had found them, and they were inside that inn.
Perhaps it was intuition or perhaps it was some inkling of the mystical force she'd heard of in stories, but somehow Majiri knew that the Bloodtracker was after the young man that had entered the inn moments before. She also knew that unless she moved quickly there was no chance that the young man would live through the night, or even the next few minutes.
Well, she thought to herself, I wanted some action, and it'll definitely be a challenge to save someone so handsome and helpless from someone so rough and ruthless. But who knows, I might enjoy playing the hero for once.
Keta:
Keta had been at the palace when the robbery took place, and had decided to find the thief, as well as the Chief of the Palace Guard who had disappeared. It had been all too easy following the guard to this inn, and now all she had to do was capture the man and bring him to the palace. When Jabba arrived he would surely be pleased with Keta's swiftness at bringing back the cowardly guard, and Keta knew that when Jabba had someone to take his anger out on she would be rewarded for her work. Then she could continue in the search for her other, more difficult target, the thief who had actually stolen the gem from the palace and somehow left no trace.
Keta was frustrated at being unable to track this thief, but it was no matter; he couldn't stay hidden forever. He would make a mistake sooner or later, leave some trail or evidence, and in the end Keta always won. It would be a pleasure hunting down so skilled an adversary, but first things first. Keta entered the inn.
A strange looking creature that must be the innkeeper eyed Keta from behind a counter as she walked in, but she ignored him. She glanced around quickly and saw that her target was not here, but his scent was still in the air. He must already be in one of the rooms. She could also smell the fear of the bar's other occupants. She smiled at them menacingly, showing off her fierce canines, and laughed inwardly when they shrank back. Enough fun, Keta thought, it was time to get the man and be done with him. She moved towards the counter to get the key to his room from the innkeeper.
Just then someone wearing a full-body leather suit and a black facemask entered the inn and approached the innkeeper before Keta. Keta was angry, but it was only a minor stall and she was watching the entrance of the inn. The Chief of the Palace Guard had no way out.
"Choto maputini?"
"Panli, kasara dehka."
"Dehka? Sho bash, kora bash nittacho."
"Sa, genla pintarona."
The two were speaking in a language Keta could not understand, which bothered her. It disturbed Keta more when the innkeeper looked at her, but at least their conversation didn't take very long. After a quick transaction the stranger in body armor paid the innkeeper for a key and went up the stairs. Keta then stepped up to the innkeeper.
"Give me the key to the room of the one who walked in here a few moments ago, the human with the insignia of the palace guard. He is wanted by Jabba the Hutt and I have come to take him to Jabba."
"Kunachi tou?" said the innkeeper. It blinked its red eye slits and raised its clawed hands in the air innocently. Keta frowned.
"Every innkeeper in Tatooine must know some basic to run their business, and that includes you. Now stop fooling around and give me the key to his room."
"Sotari ko. Deyla chita tou." Again the innkeeper raised its three-clawed hands in the air. Keta was growing tired of this.
"Give me the key to his room," Keta said through bared teeth, "or I will injure you." Instead of looking frightened the innkeeper laughed, revealing jagged blue teeth. This creature was obviously not one to be won by force.
"Fine," Keta said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out 100 credits and held them out to the innkeeper.
"Now give me the key," Keta said.
"Hmm," said the innkeeper, "now you speak my language, but you do not speak it as well as the one who just came through."
"What do you mean?" Keta asked. "The one in the facemask?"
"Yes. That one spoke very well," the innkeeper took the credits, grabbed a key and held it out to Keta. "Here's the key, but if I understand what's going on I think you are too late to catch your palace guard."
Keta snarled at the innkeeper and snatched the key with a malevolent glare, but the innkeeper only began laughing again. Keta did not see what was so funny. She started up the stairs where she had seen the stranger in the facemask go.
Silus:
Silus hadn't been asleep long when the sound of his door grinding open and then closed woke him up. Dazed with drowsiness, he pondered how someone could have gotten his room key, when suddenly the pressure of someone's hand over his mouth woke him up fully and he remembered where he was and why. He could feel leathery glove grip his face tightly, preventing him from crying out, while another glove pinned both his arms down. Terror rising, he tried to look to see whoever it was who had come to kill him, but couldn't get up. As Silus tried to struggle the stranger spoke in an insect-like, buzzing voice that hissed in his ear.
"If you are quiet and cooperate there is a good chance you will survive longer than the next few minutes."
Well, that sounded fair to Silus. He stopped struggling and nodded his agreement eagerly. One of the gloved hands released his mouth slowly, and when Silus didn't call out the other hand freed his arms. He sat up and turned to see his captor - someone in a facemask, but no one he recognized from the palace. The fact that this person hadn't killed him straight off was enough information for the moment.
"Get up," the masked stranger commanded. Silus obeyed immediately and watched curiously as the other shoved the filthy mattress out of the corner. A few exposed insects scurried out of the way.
"You know," said the masked stranger, "you really could have picked a nicer place to stay." This sudden change of tone surprised Silus, but he certainly didn't mind it. The masked stranger then got down on hands and knees and began shuffling around on the floor like he had lost something. It was just too bizarre for Silus to sit and watch silently.
"What are you doing?"
"Saving your life," was the reply.
"Oh," said Silus, "really. And how are you doing that by crawling around on the bug-infested floor?" Just then the stranger seemed to have found what he was looking for. He brushed away a thick layer of dust and dirt in a small area and Silus was shocked to see four small lines in the floor in the shape of a square.
"Here it is," said the stranger, "I knew that innkeeper wouldn't lie for 750 credits." He then pulled up at where the line was and a small trapdoor opened in the floor. The stranger then stood up and motioned for Silus to enter the hole in the floor.
"Why should I go down there?" Silus asked.
"Because there is a Bloodtracker outside who will be here any moment and wants to kill you." Silus shrugged.
"Fair enough." Silus started down the hole, grabbing blindly for the handholds as it grew too dark to see. After he was about five feet down the stranger also started climbing in, pulling the mattress back over as he shut the trapdoor. Now they were alone, climbing down the dark, narrow hole to a location Silus could not begin to guess at.
Keta:
The innkeeper had to be mistaken; there was no way that the masked stranger and palace guard could have escaped from the room. Still, Keta ran up the stairway and down the length of the hallway to get to the room. Yes, Keta could smell the young guard on the key panel to the room, as well as the leathery scent off of the material from the stranger's glove. They had to be inside. There was no way…
As the door opened fully Keta's eyes widened and nostrils flared. She sniffed the air desperately. The scents were still there and yet, the two figures they belonged to were gone. Keta's horror turned to quieted rage as she began to search the room swiftly and meticulously, with all her acute senses fully employed in finding evidence of where they had gone. There! As she turned over the dirtied mattress in the corner Keta saw where the dust and dirt of the floor had been cleared, and there was a trapdoor in the floor. Quickly, she lifted it and began down the hole.
The handholds made a soft, rapid ping sound that reverberated in the hole as Keta descended about 15 feet. When she reached the bottom and touched the ground Keta was quite displeased at the sticky substance sticking to the bottoms of both her foot pads. Though she found it most comfortable, there were sometimes disadvantages to walking barefoot.
At that moment, however, Keta did not have time to think about the floor; the innkeeper had stalled her for almost two full minutes and every second she waited her prey and his masked helper were getting further away. Keta scrambled around in the dark for a moment until she found a latch. When she opened it the only ones to greet her were the streets of Mos Edaan and night sky of Tatooine.
Keta followed their scents and tracks, knowing they could not have gotten very far. The tracks led her all through the town on a winding trail that led through back alleys, crowded streets and shops ranging from food vendors to chemical weapons dealers. Either they were lost, or the masked stranger was trying to throw her off their track. Very clever, thought Keta, but he would not succeed.
Finally, Keta came upon an alley way where their scents were very fresh. At last she had them. Only, when she turned the corner there was nothing in sight but a hastily scribbled note. Not seeing the guard or the masked stranger anywhere, Keta picked up the note and read it.
"Sorry Bloodtracker, but I can't have you following me.
-M"
For a brief moment Keta pondered the meaning of the cryptic note, when suddenly she noticed a thick vapor filling the air. She looked down and saw that the note had been covering a time release gas bomb, and by the dizziness she felt along with the burning sensation in her nose and eyes, Keta realized that it had just released some sort of anesthetic/stunning substance. She tried to cover her mouth and nose, but she was already slipping into unconsciousness. As she fell onto her back all Keta saw were the shadows of two figures escaping up a safety ladder on the side of one of the buildings adjacent to the alleyway. Her last infuriated thought was that despite her skill, despite her experience, despite her training, somehow this masked stranger had beaten her, and before she could even begin to guess how, everything went completely dark.
The Thief -
By Mer
Silus:
Silus Pontulk could not imagine a worse mess. Jabba the Hutt would arrive back at the palace in two hours and notice his favorite Ynarian gem was missing. It would only be a matter of time then until he'd discover that as Chief of the Palace Guard, Silus was to blame for the thief's evading capture, and soon after that...well, Silus didn't want to think about that. There were only two paths he could see to take, and neither seemed very promising. He could either try to find the thief or get off-planet before Jabba returned. Worst case scenarios: he would be unable to locate the thief or the gem and would face a slow and agonizing death of Jabba's choice, or he would try to get as far away from Tatooine as possible (which Jabba would no doubt expect) and be hunted down by bounty hunters to face a slow and agonizing death of Jabba's choice. No, those ideas wouldn't work unless he found the thief.
And how was he supposed to find one lousy gem thief on all of Tatooine that had disappeared without a trace? Silus knew just how impossible it was to track anyone on the planet - it was the perfect hiding place for those who want to avoid being found. Wait a minute, Silus thought, that's was it! Jabba would expect him to try to escape to another planet, but if Silus could lay low on Tatooine he'd have a better chance of avoiding detection. And with the immediate risk of slow and agonizing death out of the way, he'd be in a perfect position to try to track down the Ynarian gem thief.
Majiri:
"So, my mysterious friend," said a low, silky voice over com-link, "you say you have some merchandise that will interest me?"
"Maybe," a gruff voice replied, "if you don't mind owning it secondhand of Jabba the Hutt."
"Really?" Said the silky voice with a touch of amusement. "I must say I am impressed. Might I ask how you accomplished this feat?" This caused the other to laugh shortly in a manner so harsh it seemed more of a cough or a bark.
"I would love to tell," said the gruff voice, "but my secrets are to remain my secrets." The silky voice let out a sigh audible through the com-link.
"If you say it must be so. Now tell me, what is it you have for me?"
"A high quality Ynarian gem, perfect red coloration and brilliant luster. I've heard it is Jabba's favorite, or was, and it's easy to see why."
"That is very interesting," said the silky voice slowly, "but what use do I have for a pretty stone?"
"Come now," the gruff voice said scoldingly, "don't try to be smart. Both you and I know of your dealings with inner system aristocrats like the Oolra. I'd say you'd have no trouble finding a use for this pretty stone."
Indeed the silky voiced dealer knew very well that this gem was extremely valuable to him in his business with the Oolra, but what he didn't know was how in space anyone else could know that. It was really quite unsettling that this thief he knew practically nothing of seemed to know everything about him. There was a moment's pause as he thought this over.
"All right," said the silky voice at last with an air of defeat, "name your price."
"That's better," said the gruff voice, changing to a more friendly tone (if such a harsh vocalization could be called friendly). "Considering the rarity of the gem and the possible 150,000 credits you may receive for it from some Oolrani collector I'd say 100,000 credits is quite fair, wouldn't you?"
"Y-yes," said the shocked silky voice. Then regaining some composure, the silky voice asked, "Just out of curiosity, why don't you take the gem out of Hutt space yourself, since you know so well where to sell it?"
"Stealing is my business," said the gruff voice, "I'll leave the smuggling to you."
"All right then. Where do you think would be the best location of this transaction?"
"There's a little shop in Mos Edaan space station that sells a variety of technological antiques. Do you know of the place?"
"Yes," replied the silky voice calmly.
"Come tomorrow at midday to that shop and a servant girl will ask you if you would like to see some of their other merchandise. Reply yes, and follow her to the basement area of the shop. There the exchange will be made - 100,000 credits for one Ynarian gem. I trust you will not try anything that would jeopardize our favorable business relationship."
"Of course, and I trust you'll do the same."
"Of course," barked the gruff voice, "it is a pleasure doing business with you, honorable Bona Shaiir."
"And it is a pleasure doing business with you, my mysterious friend, though I wish I could meet you face to face."
"Perhaps someday you will..." With that the gruff-voiced thief cut off the com-link and there was silence. Bona Shaiir sat for a moment in thought, and then stood and walked out of the room. An old friend had stopped by in town claiming to need his help, so for the moment Bona forgot about his strange business relations and went to meet his friend at the space station.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the com-link the thief expertly removed the voice modifier from her mouth and leaned forward with a smile to gaze again at her sparkling red prize. Her voice back to normal, she spoke to no one with a tone of amusement.
"Perhaps we'll meet face to face someday sooner than you think, Honorable Bona Shaiir, perhaps someday sooner than you think..."
Silus:
Silus's mind felt numb as he gathered all the things he could carry as fast as he could and tried to comprehend what he was getting himself into. He left the palace immediately, taking a route known only to him and the other palace security to avoid detection. When he was out of the palace he hopped into his personal speeder, and without any idea where he was going, flew into the desert sunset. It was not at all a relaxing experience, racing away from most likely death at Jabba's hand to most likely death at the hand of cutthroats and villains. Silus was still wondering whether he should have stayed at the palace when he found himself in some small town on the outskirts of Mos Edaan space station. Still, he thought as his speeder decelerated, if he had stayed he would be killed as soon as Jabba arrived in about another hour from now. This way he could live a little longer, or at least try to.
As soon as Silus entered the small town he found a ship dealer who was just about to close shop for the day. He wouldn't need his speeder so Silus sold it to the dealer for less than it was worth, but at least now he had some cash. After a few minutes of wandering around the town and being eyed warily by its rather unseemly inhabitants, Silus found an inn of some sort and stepped inside.
"Choto maputini?" Asked the innkeeper suspiciously. It was a thin but tough-looking brown creature with cracked and dried skin and two red eyes that slit vertically. Silus had never seen such a creature before, and was startled for a moment. Then he realized the innkeeper had spoken to him in Bocce, and trying to remember the few words he had learned of the language, he made a hesitant reply.
"Kosi, da tofa naro basic?" At this the innkeeper's small mouth opened wide to reveal three rows of stained blue teeth, and he made a hacking noise. Silus could hardly disguise his revulsion at what as best he could tell was the innkeeper's laugh, although certainly not a friendly one.
"Yes," said the innkeeper between hacks, "if what you meant to say is do I understand basic, then yes." The innkeeper continued laughing/hacking for a moment while Silus tried to force a smile and wondered what the blue suns he had said in Bocce. When the innkeeper was finally finished, Silus was blushing as he spoke.
"I would like a room for the night, and something to eat if it's not too much trouble."
"100 credits, room's up the stairs on the far left," said the innkeeper as he snatched up a flat disk riddled with holes in his clawed, three-digit hand and held it out to Silus, "you can get what you want at the bar, no charge." Silus looked behind him in the direction the innkeeper had indicated and saw a hodgepodge of different aliens and a few humans in various states of depression, rage and drunkenness. Maybe he wasn't so hungry after all, Silus thought. He turned back around to face the innkeeper.
"Thank you," said Silus as he took the disk from the innkeeper and handed him the credits. The innkeeper grunted at the thanks, and immediately busied himself with the money.
As Silus walked down the grimy hallway and up the stairs he noticed more and more an unpleasant odor that seemed to seep through the walls and thrive in the hot and strangely humid air of the inn. When he got to his room he was at first unsure what to do with the disk that had been given to him, but after a little experimentation he discovered it unlocked his room when pressed against a small triangular panel and turned it. As he did the plain black door opened with a grinding noise, and Silus beheld the plainest and dirtiest room he had ever seen.
The only light was from a small circular window on the far wall, which was now useless because of the growing darkness of night. A flat, stained floor mat that Silus assumed was a bed occupied the far-left corner and a wooden table and chair occupied the far right.
"It could be worse," Silus said aloud, though he didn't believe it for a moment. He had paid for the room though, so he might as well use it. He entered and shut the door, then moved slowly over to the bed and lay down to try to get some sleep. As that attempt failed, he tried to look on the bright side of things. Filthy as it was, the hotel was so common and out of the way that it offered the protection of ambiguity. Jabba would be at the palace just now, Silus thought. If Silus had stayed he would be dead by now. At least by leaving the palace he could have one more night's sleep in a dirty, broken-down hotel, knowing that if anyone at the palace had seen him go (which was most likely) he'd awake to a blaster at his forehead. Then again, that wasn't a very comforting thought.
Majiri:
Following the months of tedious planning and preparation the past few days of actually executing one of her greatest thefts to date had been quite exciting, but now that things were settling down again Majiri felt the usual boredom begin to set in. She sat alone in the basement of her technological antique shop and let out a sigh with her head in her hands. The faint lighting of the room caught the sparkle of the Ynarian gem in its open case on the table in front of her.
"That's the problem with being such a great thief, you know," she said to the gem as if it were a close friend, "there's never any challenge in it." She paused for a moment, and blinked her bright silver-gray eyes.
"Maybe I should have left a some calling card or some trail for the guards to follow. It'd make life more interesting if they'd at least try to catch me."
Majiri began drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair. She was restless, and she knew she would not sleep before the transaction with Bona Shaiir tomorrow. It was time to go out, to find some action, and maybe even celebrate her success. But first, of course, she had to take the usual steps to hide her true appearance, and in turn her identity. It was extra insurance against ever being caught or even recognized while outside of the shop, and she'd gotten so used to changing identity every time she went out that it seemed a part of her normal routine. Like with stealing, disguising herself was a part of Majiri, and also like with stealing she had to admit, she was good at it.
Within ten minutes the transformation was complete. She had become just one of the many strange characters who traversed the surface of Tatooine. The costume she had chosen was one of her favorites because it was a design she had personally created. There was a worn facemask with insect-like eyes and two black tubes connecting to a filtering contraption on the back of the suit. The suit itself was made of leathery brown material with some gray plating on the shoulders, chest, and arms. The most important thing about her costume was that it disguised her perfectly; the fasemask and suit cloaked her voice, appearance, and even her scent from would-be enemies.
There was just one more precaution she had to take. Leaving the gem in the shop would be a problem if someone broke in while she was gone, and it was also too risky to take it with her through Mos Edaan. Majiri's solution to this was a counterfeit Ynarian gem. It had cost less than 50 credits in a backward space-station marketplace, but at first glance it looked real enough to fool most amateur gemologists. There was also a tiny transmitter inside its case that Majiri could activate that would alert her with a beeping noise in the almost invisible earpiece she always wore if it was opened.
Majiri closed the case with the real gem in it and placed it within an antiquated radio communications system, one of the many pieces of outdated junk in the basement. Then she grabbed the counterfeit gem in the identical case, activated the transmitter, and placed it out on the table where the real gem had sat moments before. Just in case anyone came looking for the gem they would find the fake one immediately and open it, which would let Majiri know someone was snooping around the shop. It was a complex security system, but Majiri knew she couldn't be too careful with a gem worth 100,000 credits. Plus, the counterfeit gem would come in handy tomorrow if Bona Shaiir tried to double-cross her. Majiri figured that taking care of two mynocks with one stone wasn't a bad deal. So with her costume in place and her Ynarian prize secure for tomorrow, Majiri set out to wander through the many streets of Mos Edaan.
At first it was a very uninteresting walk and Majiri wondered if it might have been more interesting to stay in her room and stare at the ceiling. It was nice to get out into the fresh air, but the face mask did not allow her to really enjoy that fresh air, and the sights and sounds of the city were just as they always were: dusty, ugly and boring. There were just the usual merchants and scum in the streets, and as night was falling it seemed as though her coming here had been a waste of time. But just as she was approaching the very edge of Mos Edaan and considering finding the nearest cantina for some refreshment, she spotted someone who caught her interest.
A young and not at all unattractive man with brown hair was walking about slowly, seemingly unfamiliar with the city and looking for a place to spend the night. He wore finer clothing than any of the other inhabitants in this area, and so was obviously not one of the common merchants or criminals. By the insignia on the shoulder of his jacket Majiri could tell he was a palace guard, most likely at Jabba's Palace, but she had no idea why such a person would want to come to Mos Edaan. Perhaps he was on vacation from his work, but no, Mos Edaan was hardly the dream vacationing spot, especially for someone traveling alone. But what other reason could there be for his coming here?
Majiri was still pondering this question long after the young man had found and entered an inn and night had fallen, when she saw something else that sharpened her interest. Coming from the same direction as the young man had come, a large, dog-faced creature with pointed ears came into view. It was a biped that had a fine coat of fur and two hands, each with five clawed fingers that gripped a very large blaster. It wore a slightly shredded pair of black pants with a hole for its tail and a belt that held a set of small, unconcealed throwing knives. Other than that it had no shirt (probably to show off its muscles), no shoes (revealing two clawed and callused feet/paws), and three metallic rings pierced through one of its pointed ears. Majiri's guess was that it wanted to look intimidating, and if so it had succeeded.
Majiri noticed how it moved about deliberately, glancing at the ground as if searching for footprints and sniffing the air. She thought she remembered hearing about creatures like this one, called Bloodtrackers. They lived on a remote and isolated moon somewhere beyond known territories, and only a handful left their system because they earned good money as skilled bounty hunters. They were fast, agile, strong, and had an excellent sense of smell that was rumored to give them the ability to track their prey through space. Majiri didn't know if she believed such rumors, but one thing she did know: if a Bloodtracker was after her, she would have to be extra careful.
For the moment though she was wearing her scent-proof costume, so Majiri knew there was no harm in watching it to see what it did. Its nose twitched a few more times as it moved toward the inn. Then it stopped and drew back its lips in what seemed like a smile, revealing canines that could slice through bone. Whoever it was looking for, it had found them, and they were inside that inn.
Perhaps it was intuition or perhaps it was some inkling of the mystical force she'd heard of in stories, but somehow Majiri knew that the Bloodtracker was after the young man that had entered the inn moments before. She also knew that unless she moved quickly there was no chance that the young man would live through the night, or even the next few minutes.
Well, she thought to herself, I wanted some action, and it'll definitely be a challenge to save someone so handsome and helpless from someone so rough and ruthless. But who knows, I might enjoy playing the hero for once.
Keta:
Keta had been at the palace when the robbery took place, and had decided to find the thief, as well as the Chief of the Palace Guard who had disappeared. It had been all too easy following the guard to this inn, and now all she had to do was capture the man and bring him to the palace. When Jabba arrived he would surely be pleased with Keta's swiftness at bringing back the cowardly guard, and Keta knew that when Jabba had someone to take his anger out on she would be rewarded for her work. Then she could continue in the search for her other, more difficult target, the thief who had actually stolen the gem from the palace and somehow left no trace.
Keta was frustrated at being unable to track this thief, but it was no matter; he couldn't stay hidden forever. He would make a mistake sooner or later, leave some trail or evidence, and in the end Keta always won. It would be a pleasure hunting down so skilled an adversary, but first things first. Keta entered the inn.
A strange looking creature that must be the innkeeper eyed Keta from behind a counter as she walked in, but she ignored him. She glanced around quickly and saw that her target was not here, but his scent was still in the air. He must already be in one of the rooms. She could also smell the fear of the bar's other occupants. She smiled at them menacingly, showing off her fierce canines, and laughed inwardly when they shrank back. Enough fun, Keta thought, it was time to get the man and be done with him. She moved towards the counter to get the key to his room from the innkeeper.
Just then someone wearing a full-body leather suit and a black facemask entered the inn and approached the innkeeper before Keta. Keta was angry, but it was only a minor stall and she was watching the entrance of the inn. The Chief of the Palace Guard had no way out.
"Choto maputini?"
"Panli, kasara dehka."
"Dehka? Sho bash, kora bash nittacho."
"Sa, genla pintarona."
The two were speaking in a language Keta could not understand, which bothered her. It disturbed Keta more when the innkeeper looked at her, but at least their conversation didn't take very long. After a quick transaction the stranger in body armor paid the innkeeper for a key and went up the stairs. Keta then stepped up to the innkeeper.
"Give me the key to the room of the one who walked in here a few moments ago, the human with the insignia of the palace guard. He is wanted by Jabba the Hutt and I have come to take him to Jabba."
"Kunachi tou?" said the innkeeper. It blinked its red eye slits and raised its clawed hands in the air innocently. Keta frowned.
"Every innkeeper in Tatooine must know some basic to run their business, and that includes you. Now stop fooling around and give me the key to his room."
"Sotari ko. Deyla chita tou." Again the innkeeper raised its three-clawed hands in the air. Keta was growing tired of this.
"Give me the key to his room," Keta said through bared teeth, "or I will injure you." Instead of looking frightened the innkeeper laughed, revealing jagged blue teeth. This creature was obviously not one to be won by force.
"Fine," Keta said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out 100 credits and held them out to the innkeeper.
"Now give me the key," Keta said.
"Hmm," said the innkeeper, "now you speak my language, but you do not speak it as well as the one who just came through."
"What do you mean?" Keta asked. "The one in the facemask?"
"Yes. That one spoke very well," the innkeeper took the credits, grabbed a key and held it out to Keta. "Here's the key, but if I understand what's going on I think you are too late to catch your palace guard."
Keta snarled at the innkeeper and snatched the key with a malevolent glare, but the innkeeper only began laughing again. Keta did not see what was so funny. She started up the stairs where she had seen the stranger in the facemask go.
Silus:
Silus hadn't been asleep long when the sound of his door grinding open and then closed woke him up. Dazed with drowsiness, he pondered how someone could have gotten his room key, when suddenly the pressure of someone's hand over his mouth woke him up fully and he remembered where he was and why. He could feel leathery glove grip his face tightly, preventing him from crying out, while another glove pinned both his arms down. Terror rising, he tried to look to see whoever it was who had come to kill him, but couldn't get up. As Silus tried to struggle the stranger spoke in an insect-like, buzzing voice that hissed in his ear.
"If you are quiet and cooperate there is a good chance you will survive longer than the next few minutes."
Well, that sounded fair to Silus. He stopped struggling and nodded his agreement eagerly. One of the gloved hands released his mouth slowly, and when Silus didn't call out the other hand freed his arms. He sat up and turned to see his captor - someone in a facemask, but no one he recognized from the palace. The fact that this person hadn't killed him straight off was enough information for the moment.
"Get up," the masked stranger commanded. Silus obeyed immediately and watched curiously as the other shoved the filthy mattress out of the corner. A few exposed insects scurried out of the way.
"You know," said the masked stranger, "you really could have picked a nicer place to stay." This sudden change of tone surprised Silus, but he certainly didn't mind it. The masked stranger then got down on hands and knees and began shuffling around on the floor like he had lost something. It was just too bizarre for Silus to sit and watch silently.
"What are you doing?"
"Saving your life," was the reply.
"Oh," said Silus, "really. And how are you doing that by crawling around on the bug-infested floor?" Just then the stranger seemed to have found what he was looking for. He brushed away a thick layer of dust and dirt in a small area and Silus was shocked to see four small lines in the floor in the shape of a square.
"Here it is," said the stranger, "I knew that innkeeper wouldn't lie for 750 credits." He then pulled up at where the line was and a small trapdoor opened in the floor. The stranger then stood up and motioned for Silus to enter the hole in the floor.
"Why should I go down there?" Silus asked.
"Because there is a Bloodtracker outside who will be here any moment and wants to kill you." Silus shrugged.
"Fair enough." Silus started down the hole, grabbing blindly for the handholds as it grew too dark to see. After he was about five feet down the stranger also started climbing in, pulling the mattress back over as he shut the trapdoor. Now they were alone, climbing down the dark, narrow hole to a location Silus could not begin to guess at.
Keta:
The innkeeper had to be mistaken; there was no way that the masked stranger and palace guard could have escaped from the room. Still, Keta ran up the stairway and down the length of the hallway to get to the room. Yes, Keta could smell the young guard on the key panel to the room, as well as the leathery scent off of the material from the stranger's glove. They had to be inside. There was no way…
As the door opened fully Keta's eyes widened and nostrils flared. She sniffed the air desperately. The scents were still there and yet, the two figures they belonged to were gone. Keta's horror turned to quieted rage as she began to search the room swiftly and meticulously, with all her acute senses fully employed in finding evidence of where they had gone. There! As she turned over the dirtied mattress in the corner Keta saw where the dust and dirt of the floor had been cleared, and there was a trapdoor in the floor. Quickly, she lifted it and began down the hole.
The handholds made a soft, rapid ping sound that reverberated in the hole as Keta descended about 15 feet. When she reached the bottom and touched the ground Keta was quite displeased at the sticky substance sticking to the bottoms of both her foot pads. Though she found it most comfortable, there were sometimes disadvantages to walking barefoot.
At that moment, however, Keta did not have time to think about the floor; the innkeeper had stalled her for almost two full minutes and every second she waited her prey and his masked helper were getting further away. Keta scrambled around in the dark for a moment until she found a latch. When she opened it the only ones to greet her were the streets of Mos Edaan and night sky of Tatooine.
Keta followed their scents and tracks, knowing they could not have gotten very far. The tracks led her all through the town on a winding trail that led through back alleys, crowded streets and shops ranging from food vendors to chemical weapons dealers. Either they were lost, or the masked stranger was trying to throw her off their track. Very clever, thought Keta, but he would not succeed.
Finally, Keta came upon an alley way where their scents were very fresh. At last she had them. Only, when she turned the corner there was nothing in sight but a hastily scribbled note. Not seeing the guard or the masked stranger anywhere, Keta picked up the note and read it.
"Sorry Bloodtracker, but I can't have you following me.
-M"
For a brief moment Keta pondered the meaning of the cryptic note, when suddenly she noticed a thick vapor filling the air. She looked down and saw that the note had been covering a time release gas bomb, and by the dizziness she felt along with the burning sensation in her nose and eyes, Keta realized that it had just released some sort of anesthetic/stunning substance. She tried to cover her mouth and nose, but she was already slipping into unconsciousness. As she fell onto her back all Keta saw were the shadows of two figures escaping up a safety ladder on the side of one of the buildings adjacent to the alleyway. Her last infuriated thought was that despite her skill, despite her experience, despite her training, somehow this masked stranger had beaten her, and before she could even begin to guess how, everything went completely dark.