I returned to Strask's private harbor in the late morning. I docked the sub and exited the craft. Strask's men eyed me, and said nothing to me as they escorted me in their sky car back to Strask's base. Ungrateful di'kutla. They landed the speeder, and I didn't hesitate to escort myself to Strask's office. They hurriedly followed after me, making it inside the turbolift just before the doors closed. The lift descended to Strask's office, and I walked out first. Strask looked up from his desk.
"Ah Fett, good to see-"
"Is this what you wanted?" I asked, retrieving my foe's scalp from my belt and throwing it on Strask's desk. The Bothan looked annoyed and queasy as he leaned back in his chair. He looked to his right and nodded to a servant, who walked over to clean up the mess.
"Um, yes, thank you…" Strask said. Suddenly, his men surrounded me, grabbed me and had their blasters at me, point blank. "Yes, thank you, very, very much." Strask said with a snide grin.
"Your 'friend' warned me this would happen. I thought your friendship with Sud-"
"Don't lecture me, Fett. At the end of the day, we Bothans have to look out for ourselves.. The rest of you in the galaxy take second priority. So you'll understand that when I have you killed, I will then turn you in for the bounty on your kind. Or is that too hard for your Mandalorian 'honour' to understand?"
"You sonofabitch!" I yelled. His guards held me back as Strask laughed, amused.
"Charming, as always. Of course, you did the deed of eliminating my old business partner, I suppose there would be nothing wrong with telling you what you need to know." Strask began. He pulled out a datapad and waved it at me. "Your friends, the Ailon? Huag wasn't lying when he told you his people were hired by the underworld. Very few organized crime leaders have the cohunes to hunt down your kind, most in fact attempt it and then die themselves. But there is one. A certain Cerean based out of the smuggler's moon, her associates know her as 'Reeko.' For those in my business, we all knew her as street trash before she took over that racket." Strask said. I had been listening to the Bothan's words, but ignoring him. Instead I was quickly scanning the room, for anything to get these bastards. Finally I found it. I used a voice activation code, and readied a knee rocket dart. "Anything left you'd like cleared up Fett? If not, I'd really like to get a move on, there are an awful lot of credits to be had from your death you know."
I said nothing, instead launching the rocket dart at an exposed gas line in the ceiling behind Strask. Girov's eyes widened in horror for a split second as he saw the dart fly through the air, exploding the gas line and sending his entire office into a flaming conflagration. The blast incinerated Strask immediately, while charring his minions, who had all been thrown backwards. I too was thrown on my back, saved only by my armour. The sprinklers in the ceiling were set off, as I stood back up. Damn that stung.
"Haven't been knocked around this much since basic…" I grumbled to myself. The fire was still intense, even as the sprinklers kept shooting water down. I scrambled to search for where Strask's datapad landed, and found it in the corner, blasted out of his hand. I picked it up and pocketed it. I was done here, and had everything I needed to know. I made my way back to the glass elevator, leaving the fiery destruction behind me as I opened the lift doors. The lift itself was gone, several floors down. I had to get out. I activated my jetpack, and began flying up the clear durasteel shaft as the lift began ascending. "Ah shit…" I swore as the lift reached me. I stopped my jetpack and set my feet down on the car. With a quick scan, my sensors revealed there were six people in the car, all armed. Wonderful.
I paused as the car ascended, finally stopping at the top floor. I had to lay flat on top of the lift to keep from being crushed. The troops inside the lift exited out into the hall, and began taking up firing positions. They knew I had to come this way. I readied a smoke grenade, lifted up the emergency hatch, and tossed it out into the hall. Almost immediately blaster fire began pouring into the lift, shattering its glass walls. I held position. There was someone yelling in the hall.
"Hold your fire, hold your fire! Fett, we can end this without bloodshed. Surrender and we won't kill you. The bounty on your kind doesn't mean we can't take you in alive." The commander yelled. I grunted, mildly pissed off.
No one is taking me alive or dead
I readied another grenade. This one however was not LTL. I lobbed it down, out of the lift and into the hall. It rolled for several moments then exploded, causing a massive fiery conflagration and several screams of pain. I dropped down into the lift, and found the hallway was filled with smoke and fire, even with the sprinklers. My pals were running wild, trying to put out the fires that had caught them from my phosphorus grenade. I began casually walking out of the hall towards the landing pad, pushing aside several Bothans who were lit on fire. I passed by the Bothan troopers, dead and dying, as I made my way towards the landing pad. The wide windows in the hallway, now curving, revealed several fighters descending from the fleet that had first 'greeted' me. I exited to the landing pad, where my Basilisk sat still. Plumes of smoke from below rose up as I entered the ship.
"How we doing girl?" I asked as I settled in the cockpit. I fired up the ship, and as the engines heated up, the security system logs came online. A log from yesterday revealed an intruder had tried to get onboard, but the ship's automated defense systems neutralized him. "Good girl. Its time to go." I said, as I took the ship off the landing pad and up towards space. As I input hyperspace coordinates, the fighters from before began tailing me and unleashing blaster fire. I zipped and dodged as I flew up into space, and began flying opposite the Bothan Capital ship. The fighter squadron continued tailing me as I finished the coordinates.
"You won't get away Fett!" One of the pilots yelled over the channel. My shields were taking a beating but were still holding.
"Keep telling that to yourself."
Moments later, my Basilisk blasted off into hyperspace.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
As space and stars beamed into infinity around me, I used the ship's comm. to open a line to Sud. After several moments the Peripleen finally responded.
"Lad, that you?"
"You've got some explaining to do old timer."
"What?"
"Your friend told me what I needed to know. But he also had a particular bounty in mind that he wanted to cash in on."
"Ah no. I'm sorry lad. I wouldn't lie to you. I thought Strask was better than that. I guess he's changed since the old days."
"He never changed. He always adhered to his people's code."
"I guess that means you killed him?"
"It does." I replied. Sud sighed.
"Not my favorite turn of events, but greed infects the best of us. I swear I had no idea he was going to do that." Sud pleaded. Could I trust him again? My first impression of Sud was a good one. Did it still stand? After a few moments of thought, I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
"I believe you Sud. I need your help again."
"Name it."
"Strask told me who the Ailon employer is. Some female Cerean, based out of the smuggler's moon."
"Little Coruscant, the Vertical City as its called sometimes. Nar Shaddaa. Bad place that is. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."
"Remind me to recommend you to a travel agency."
"I'm serious. Bounty hunters, assassins, crime lords, murderers, thieves, all of the above reside there. Even the beggars on the streets will pick pocket if they get the chance. You go there and you'll be asking for trouble. Anyone spots you, they'll try and kill you themselves for the bounty, or tell someone else for a finder's fee. Its suicide kid. Don't do it."
"That's the thing old timer. I have to." I replied. Sud scoffed.
"We can only be young and stupid once. Who is this Cerean anyway?"
"Name's Reeko. Female. Strask mentioned she was on the streets before becoming a major player."
"Hmm. Never heard of her. But I bet she's ruthless. You know these types. Rough childhood, turns them into brutal people."
I know it all too well
"Thanks for the info."
"Say, you ever thought of being a bounty hunter yourself? You've already got the skills for it, just need to network, call some people, and-"
"Novel idea, but I don't think so. Keep in touch old timer."
"Alright, alright. See you on the other side, eh stranga?"