Dock 27, Logging Camp 37-G, Cardooine
The Big Momma Cool was a bit of a rough fit in the "small freighter" docks. It had the standard blocky, front-heavy design of other Corellian HT-2200s. However, the four cargo bays in the front were significantly larger, and were merged all together to create a single large cargo bay that was refitted into a hangar bay for three small starfighters. While other HT-2200s may have been pirate bait, the Big Momma Cool would be a nasty surprise for any would-be pirate in the form of those three fighters.
Meanwhile, in the cockpit, an irritated man tapped his fingers. "He called in just a bit ago. What in Malachor is taking the little slag so long?" Darro Tille was a firm, no-nonsense type. He'd put in three years of service in the army as a rifleman, and spent a good seven years on the Coruscant Security Force as a detective. He certainly looked the part: his face had the wrinkles and marks of age, and his thinning hair was already grey. He liked to blame it on the stress: first the war, then the bum leg, then the work, then the divorce. Currently the source of his agitation was one Crix Horne.
He pulled out his pipe, stuffed it and lit it. Breathing in the smoke, he celebrated the fact that Two-One was off keeping R4 company during fighter maintenance. That damn medical droid hounded him like his ex-wife, bugging him about his annual promise to quit. At least Two-One was polite about it. Then again, the damn droid was polite and upbeat over pulling pieces of a broken beer bottle from one mark's rear end. It was kind of creepy, honestly.
Darro felt his comlink buzz. Looking up, he saw Crix waving to the cockpit, lit up by his own cigarillo, out by the landing pad. He had what he assumed was Brandes with him, with a wonderful array of colors. He didn't even notice the droid, but knew he was there just by seeing Brandes jump in pain. He flicked a switch, and the hangar bay doors opened up.
Inside the hangar, a short whine was heard as R4-C6 quickly skittered away. Crix forced Brandes into the hangar area, pushing him forward. Meanwhile, a skeletal humanoid droid walked over to greet them. "Ah, master Crix, it is so good to see you have returned!"
"Nice to see you too, Two-One."
"It appears this man is suffering from a broken nose, multiple bruisings, and severe emotional distress. Shall I treat him, sir?"
"Yeah, whatever. Gotta wait for someone to go down and move his sorry ass to a holding cell though."
As if on cue, the ship doors slid open to reveal a large reptilian alien, grinning widely. "I'll be taking thingssss from here, thank you very much." The brown-scaled smiler stood even taller than Crix, with teeth like tiny knives. He gripped the trembling man firmly, but not nearly as harsh as Crix. He pulled the man away, with R5 and Two-One following him.
"You got him, Skulrakh?" Crix asked.
"I'll take care of him, yesssss." The reptilian alien nodded as he led the man away. "And you?"
"Same thing I do after every job," Crix said, walking over to a bright red speeder. "I get on my BARC, find myself a bar, and celebrate the bonus that's gonna fall into my lap."
The lizard shrugged. "Sssssuit yourssssself." He led the man through a door in the back of the hangar before making a hard right into another door. It opened, revealing a small room the size of a small pantry. It was adorned with nothing more than a small toilet and a bunk bed. "Pleassssse, make yourssssself at home," he said, guiding Brandes into the room, "I sssssimply need to regissssster you with the captain." He backed out of the room as the door slid shut. He typed in a short key code on the outside, and the door locked itself. Skulrakh headed down the hall and up a ladder before heading to the ship's cockpit. "Prisssssoner isssss ssssstored, bossssss."
"Great," Darro said, his pipe slowly dying out. "I've just told Kar to get the landspeeder and keep tabs on Crix, drive him home if he gets too hammered. Also she's gonna pick up some of the planet's special whiskey."
"Ssssso that leavesssss me on guard duty?"
"You saw the mark. He's not gonna run anywhere. Just keep the poor bastard from having a total mental breakdown or something worse. Verify what he told Crix."
"Can do, bossssss." The lizard smiled, flashing his teeth to Darro before turning around and heading back down to the holding cells.
Calling for Two-one, he unlocked the door. Brandes was there, squirming uncomfortably on the bed. Skulrakh smiled, but it didn't seem to calm the battered man. He strode up to Brandes, flipping him over and undoing the shock cuffs. As Two-One walked in, the droid made an observation. "It appears that I must add minor electrical burns to this patient's diagnosis. Should I begin treatment now?"
"Ssssshure thing, Two-One." He squatted down facing Brandes, looking him in the eye as Two-One began swabbing at the blood. "Pleasssssure to meet you. My name isssss Ssssskulrakh. I'm from Barab. You?"
"I already told your man the truth, please, don't-" Brandes's plea for mercy was met with laughter.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I've hurt enough people working for the Huttsssss. I jussssst need to confirm what you've told usssss."
"Tourist district. Grand Cardooine Hotel. Suite 714."
"Grand Cardooine Hotel, isssssn't that a bit exssssspenssssssive for a logger?"
"I don't know how Gar got the room. Just that he'd be hiding there and he told me to meet him there tomorrow after work."
"Well, I'm afraid that appointment will have to be moved to a later time. You will ssssstill sssssee your friend, but you will not be leaving this ssssship. We have you booked asssss an accesssssory to misssssappropriation of corporate resssssourcesssss." Brandes's face sunk. "Don't feel ssssso bad! I wasssss sssssentenced to life. But I ssssstill turned my life around and got releasssssed. You'll probably do the sssssame. You don't look like that nasssssty of a man to me. If you can go a year or two without killing anyone, you'll be fine."
"You really think so?"
"Maybe. Or the other inmatesssss will think you're an easssssy target, ssssso they ssssskin you and eat your flesssssh. It'sssss kind of a luck-basssssed thing, you know?" Brandes went pale, and Two-One paused to observe the change. "Honessssstly, I'd be hitting the gym if I were you, buddy. Put on sssssome mussssscle masssss." He hissed in amusement as he got up and walked out of the room.
Upstairs in the cockpit, he met with Darro again. "Everything check out?"
"Yeah. Crix messssssed the poor guy up quite a bit. Nothing he can't recover from though. I'm more worried about what the R5 unit did with the ssssshock cuffsssss. Thossssse burnssssss could lassssst a bit longer."
Darro scoffed. "Damn thing's a pint-sized sociopath. Fits Crix fine, as far as I'm concerned."
"You really are too hard on him. Why sssssend him out to a dry ssssspot like that? You knew he'd jussssst get mad. Why not me or Kar?"
"Because", he responded, "The loggers here are all human. You or Kar would stick out like a sore thumb. Plus I figure sooner or later he'll have to teach himself some restraint."
Skulrakh nodded emphatically. "Are you going to clossssse up for the night?"
Darro looked out the window. "Yeah, might as well. Kar will probably get R4 to open the door for her when she gets back." He turned around and flipped a switch. The large hangar doors slid shut for the night, and Big Momma Cool finally went to bed.