Dunkin didn't know how the armored man had done it. He had managed to disappear without a trace. Taking the air car to the hanger where his ship was stowed, he wondered just who the armored man was.
He also wondered whom the female alien standing close to his ship was. She was a twi'lek, he thought. Her green skin was perfectly toned with no spots of marks. Her head tails were both hanging down her back. She had on a brown jumper, which didn't look like it would leave much to the imagination except for the padded armor she wore on her chest. She also wore padded armor on her well-defined forearms and legs.
"Hello, my name is Sarti' Ani. I bring you a message from my master, Durga the Hutt." Dunkin didn't like the way this was going. "What kind of message?"
"He noticed you chasing a certain bounty hunter earlier. He couldn't help but notice your piloting skills. After reviewing the holos of his restaurant, the Truce Zone, he decided that perhaps the two of you might be able to reach an agreement."
"What sort of agreement?"
"He knows the name of the bounty hunter you seek. If you agree to do a small job for him, he will set up a bounty that would bring that particular hunter to Durga's palace where you could deal with him."
"What kind of favor would I owe that a hutt would be willing to do this for me?"
"Just a scouting mission. Nothing more. If you're interested, come to his palace on Nal Hutta." After she finished talking, the lithe twi'lek walked out of the hanger and around a corner. Dunkin boarded his ship thinking on his father's words and the idea of going home soon.
After landing on the dank swamp world of Nal Hutta, Storsek had to cover his bruised snout with his claws in a vain attempt to block the stench. "This is a bad idea, you know. Why would a hutt tell us about some slave girl he's probably never even heard of? I'll bet those slavers just sold her or did who knows what with her without the hutt ever finding out."
Xieb was trying to restrain himself from covering his own nose. "That may be true, but we said we'd check, and at least then Seniel would know what happened to her sister."
"Well, why did we leave Leda behind?"
"Are you brain dead?" Xieb asked in shock. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Leda's actually pretty attractive for a rodian. If we brought her to see Durga, he might want her to stay. He might want it bad enough to do something about it. Also, I didn't want to leave Lull alone where he might try to escape, damage the ship, or kill himself. We kind of need him alive, you know." Storsek thought for a moment. "Oh."
After entering through the palace doors, Xieb and Storsek were shown directly into Durga's throne room. As they entered, they noticed with repulsion the large rank mass that was laid on a floating platform in front of them. As Durga began to speak, Xieb was glad he had spent a few months teaching basic huttese to Storsek. Now he wouldn't have to repeat everything later.
"Bo-shuuda, my friends. I have let you enter my presence so that we may discuss a business proposition." Xieb answered back in perfect huttese. "Bo-shuuda, great Durga. We are honored by your consideration of us as perspective employees of your auspiciousness. We have also sought out your magnificence so that we may seek a small gift of information."
Durga looked taken aback that someone would ask a favor of him. "What do you wish to know, little sullustan?"
"We heard that in recent times, your greatness acquired a small human girl from Corellia. She goes by the name of Zeanna. We were curious as to her current status, whether or not she was still in your gracious employ." Durga laughed so loud it filled the great throne room. He motioned to the side with his stubby hand and a small, underfed and underdressed human female who did bear some resemblance to Seniel.
"Is this the one you're looking for? This pathetic waste of skin has whimpered for home since she arrived. She has no skills in dancing and has yet to please me. I will not only grant you knowledge of her life and presence, but I will grant you her being. Take her home to her family. Perhaps it will be a better use than to throw her to my drosak pets. In return for her life, you will owe me a favor, one that I will request and define at a time of my choosing. If you do not wish to enter into such an arrangement, then this young one will be a very pore meal for my pets. What do you say?"
This was an unfair situation. Xieb knew that Durga knew how valuable Zeanna was to him. While Storsek would not think much about letting this human die, Xieb knew he could not live with himself if she did die. "Your greatness, we graciously accept your gift and will happily perform a favor for you in return for the human's life. Your graciousness is without limits."
Zeanna was thrust in Xieb's direction. He caught her and steadied her. "Then go, my little friends. I will call you when I am ready." When they returned to the ship, Leda took Zeanna to a back bunker and set to make her comfortable.
After lifting off, Xieb plotted a course to Duros. As Storsek sat next to him in the copilot seat, he said, "I agree that Duros would be the best place to go first. Let's get rid of Lull before he becomes a bigger pain. When I went to take the data rod from his pockets, he actually tried to bite me! Do you know that he has been screaming nonstop since he woke up a few minutes ago? How did someone like him become a storm trooper anyway?"
Leda entered the cabin and sat at the communications seat. "Hey. Didn't someone else want to see this data rod before the Empire saw it?" Xieb turned in his chair. "Yeah, now that you mentioned it. That Kuat of Kuat. I think that it would be a better idea to visit him first and see what he wants. Maybe."
A warning siren interrupted Xieb's words.
"What's that?" Leda looked at the sensors screen. "It's a ship on fast approach from Nar Shadda. It looks like a medium sized ship, maybe 50 meters long. I've never seen anything like this before. It's heavily armed. I'm counting four quad cannons and two torp launchers. It could kill us in a second." As she was taking in what she herself had just said, another beep caught her attention. "Whoever it is, he wants to talk to us." Leda's throat caught as the image cleared. She recognized the dark helmet and padded armor. "It's Gunn. That's Gunn's ship."
"Very good rodian. Now listen very closely. You're going to stop your ship right now. I'm going to dock with you. You will then pass the captive over to my ship along with his data rod, which I know you have. If this sequence of events has not started within the next 30 seconds, I will happily shoot out your cockpit. Yes my guns are that accurate. I know that my prize will not be damaged due to the fact that his biosignature is currently in your cargo hold, perfectly sealed off from any vacuation of the air in your ship. You have 30 seconds, mark."
Xieb looked at his chronometer. It would be at least another 2 minutes before they would reach the hyperspace jump point. They couldn't make it in time even if he increased to full throttle. He reached for the throttle control when a pair of blue ion bolts passed between the Bollo and Gunn's ship. Xieb looked out the window to see 3 Y-wings closing in. A voice came over the intercom.
"This is Captain Tycho Celchu of the Rebel Alliance. We know that one of you has Soris Lull on board your ship. Both ships will come to a halt or we will be forced to open fire." Gunn broke off to fight the Y-wings.
As Xieb saw it happening, his hand tightened on the throttle and pushed it to its max. The shuttle's max speed wasn't something to admire greatly or anything, but with Gunn fighting with the rebels, perhaps everyone would be a little too preoccupied to notice. As they almost reached the hyperspace jump point, Storsek noticed blue ion bolts passing around the ship. "They're on top of us! Get us out of here Xieb!"
"Oh ye of little faith" Xieb said has he reached forward and pulled the hyperdrive motivator lever. The stars in the distance became bright streaks of light, which eventually turned, into a cone of light around the shuttle's cockpit.
"Oh ye of little faith?" Storsek asked.
"Ancient literature. Don't worry about it."