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Despite their best effort, the hutts couldn't stop their poisoned capital world, Nal Hutta, from stinking like a rotten garbage heap. The smell of the collapsed ecosystem seeped in to every nook and cranny, except for the majestic palaces of the crime lords. Being stuck on this planet for half a year made Zayrnic regret the fact that she had olfactory sensors installed, but leaving the world of her employers wasn't an option up until now. When that stupid bug, Delso, reactivated an entire army of droids on Mustafar, the Empire cracked down on any ex-federacy B-1s. Zaynric made herself useful enough in the years before that for the Hutts to defend her, but to guarantee safety, she had to stay on Nal Hutta. Now, however, she will be back in business. A new contract awaits, and where else than Tatooine. It was not far, but Zaynric was glad she could fly her fighter again. The good old G1-M4-C Dunelizard, which she called Scrapthrow, Stood on the landing platform, cleaned and repaired, just as she ordered. She had this spacecraft ever since she left Atzerri, where she was rebuilt. From a mindless cannon fodder, she was upgraded to be one of the best droids out there. Both her chassis and programming underwent severe reorganization. Her hips were replaced with a B2 superbattledroid's one, She got stronger servos, and extra sensors in a flexible dreadlock on the back of her head, not to mention the bronzium armor plating. She didn't recall anything from the time when she was a regular battledroid, but her database said little good about her predecessor's model. When Zaynric reached her fighter, she gently stroke her hand along the left wing. She had little haptic feedback, but she saw organic pilots do it too, and learnt that it's pleasurable in an emotional way. She opened the cockpit, and made sure that the needed supplies were inside. Her DC-15 rifle was resting on the left side of the seat, while the pistol and grenades were crammed in to the small cargo compartment behind the headrest of the pilot seat. The girl's metal fingers gently grabbed the rifle, and she lifted it out from the cockpit. It's been a while since it was used. Being a droid, and a battledroid at that, Zaynric's skills never rusted, so even if she flew out in to space, deactivated, and spent a hundred years there, she'd shoot just as well as now. But the urge in her to put her protocols and algorithms to good use filled her with excitement. She heard a pair of wings flap behind her, and without much processing, she turned around, aimed, and shot, slicing an unfortunate mynock in half with the laser. Lacking the lips to smile with, she just adjusted her photoreceptors to shine with a weak shade of red. Zayrnic looked forward to being back in action again, and jumped into the pilot seat with excitement. She put her rifle back in its place, then fastened the seatbelts, and closed the cockpit. -Achuta! Personal fighter craft requesting permission to take off. Designation: Scrapthrow.- She said in to the radio. -Chut-chut! You are clear for takeoff, Scrapthrow. Safe flight! From the voice it was obvious the twi'lek man who was usually responsible for flight control, was replaced by a Hutt. whether this meant that the twi'lek was promoted, or the new guy demoted, were both possibilities. The dunelizard fighter left the atmosphere quickly, and it was nearing the edge of Nal Hutta's gravity well. Zayrnic was excited, which to her, manifested as pleasent energy spikes in her motivator processors.Mi nobata chuga,Mi nobata yarga,I like being a droid!She sung, and as the kilometer count slowly ticked down until she can jump in to hyperspace, she adjusted her painting. Not needing to eat, drink, or to heat an apartment gave the droid the opportunity to save a few thousand credits, and upgrade herself with adaptive paint. It's primary purpose was to be an adjustable camouflage, but it could also display custom patterns. For now, she chose to have dark blue stripes to run along her limbs, and almond shaped patches around her eyes. By the time she took on her new looks, the ship reached the jumping point, and a few seconds later disappeared in the void of hyperspace. The Scrapthrow dropped out of hyperspace so close to Tatooine, that the sand brown surface dominated the view from the cockpit. Zayrnic was so occupied with running diagnostics on her system, that she didn't correct the small errors of the navicomputer and woke up only seconds before arrival. -Oh oh! This was beyond preferable parameters... - She exclaimed, and brought the fighter to a full stop. The scrapthrow was hovering slightly left from the planet's terminator, on the sunny side, just in the right angle to see the glimmer of light that got reflected from the battleship a few kilometers away. It was a Victory-class star destroyer ,and its small complementary fleet. Tatooine officially belonged to the Empire, but the influence of the Hutts was stronger, and the two actions had a mutual unsaid agreement to leave each other be. Still, if the captain of the battleship wanted to stop Zayrnic, he could have. The droid calculated her options, and decided that the best course of action is to avoid drawing attention. Despite the fact that her destination was on the night side of the planet, she steered the ship slightly away from the cruiser, and waited until it left towards the planet's north pole. "Mission parameters optional" She thought, and turned the ship around, speeding towards the beacon signal of Mos Eisley, when the other ship left. Her descent took no more than an hour. The city was still in dark, but the horizon was starting to get and orange hue. The droid organized a place to land in one of the docks, and when she found it, she slowly descended her fighter in to it. Just like the whole planet, the walls were sand colored, except for the rusty metal doors. When the cockpit opened, Zayrnic got out, and gathered her equipment. She got a big cloak from under the seat, and put it on her shoulders, then put the strap of her rifle over it. To avoid unwanted attention, she hid the grenades, and her emergency sidearm in the inner pockets. The dock was guarded by three wrinkly skinned weequays. Zayrnic approached the one behind the security consoles. -Hello!The sturdy looking alien looked up at her, and grumbled something under his nose instead of answering. -I assume you got the details of the ship from the flight controls. I want it to be guarded non-stop. If I don't find any jawa fingerprints, I'll pay extra. The weequays lipless mouth curved in to a smile. -Now we are talking. Anything else? -I require a means of travel. -Buy a speeder bike then, There is a shop, not far. Take the third turn to your right, and then the second to your right again. -From what I saw while in the air, the city's structure is organized in squares. Wouldn't it be faster if I took the second turn to my right? -No. A gang of dugs rule that street. -Roger roger.-Zayrnic replied, nodded to the man, then left the dock, and stepped out in to the night. By sunrise, Zayrnic was already half way to her destination on her brand new speeder bike. She knew she couldn't take it with her after the mission, but Tatooine is not the kind of place where people rent out stuff that can be moved. She could have tried to walk or run to Jabba's palace, but given that she is a droid, her journey would have been slowed down by the Jawa. The reason she hated them was nothing personal, but Jawas, being scavengers, didn't shy away from stealing or kidnapping droids. Or to break them down for spare parts for that matter. She was sure they had their little yellow eyes on her ever since she left Mos Eisley. Her worries persisted up until the point she arrived to the huge, metal door of the Hutt lord's palace. The door lacked guards on the outside, as nothing on Tatooine was strong enough to blast through the thick Durasteel. Zayrnic hopped off her speeder, and knocked on the door. In response, a bulbous eye of the door frame mounted TT-8L droid popped out of its hole. -What do you want? -It asked, its voice lacking any tone. -Admission in to your lord's palace. And someone to take my speeder bike to the garage. -What's your business? -I came to apply for the job your master wants to hire mercenaries for. -Gate opening initiated. A Servant is on its way. Enter. -Roger roger.The huge metal door shook in its frame, then parted in the middle, retracting in to the ceiling and the floor. The hallway that lead in to the bowels for the palace were darker than a blackhole. Zayrnic switched her photoreceptors to nightvision, and made them glow green, to avoid unwillingly scaring a guard who could attack her. Gamorreans are not small enemies after all. She lacked any knowledge about the layout of the place, but this problem was quickly solved, as a butler appeared from one of the side passages. -Aah, Welcome to the Mighty Jabba's magnificent palace! What brought you here, stranger? - He asked, and turned on a small light source, lighting his face. The smooth skin and pointy teeth revealed that he is a twi'lek. -My name is Zayrnic, and I want to apply for the bounty your master wants to hire people for. -I see. You arrived at the best time my friend. Should you have come a day later, we would have had to send out only the two other applicants. Follow me! -The butler said, and walked deeper in to the darkness of the hallway. It took ten minutes and fortyfive point thirtyseven seconds, as Zayrnic counted, to finally get to the throne room of the mighty Jabba. The place was more like a windowless cantina than a real throne room, with various associates of the Hutt crimelord occupying the alcoves and booths along the wall, making a huge cavalcade of alien languages. Zayrnic knew that these were no friends of Jabba's. If any of them had the chance to blow the fat hutt's head off with a thermal detonator and take over his place, They'd hesitate less than an asthromech droid's reaction time. The reason why they stayed put, and pleasant, was that in the darker corners and crannies of the room, the guards of the palace stood watch. Some were loyal due to drug addiction, others were loyal because of money, but all had at least one hand on their blasters. Some even had four. The twi'lek butler lead Zaynric in to thismess of noise and crime, to a booth with two other life forms sitting in it, making an unlikely table company, given that one of them as a wookiee, and the other a trandoshan. The butler gestured with his hand for Zayrnic to take a seat next to the duo, and then he done the same opposite of them. -<What the hell is this? This scrapheap were we waiting for?> The wookiee said, in his native language as the droid approached. -I'd advise against insulting your partner for the contract, Rwokkrul.- The butler said.- Besides, you were waiting for the appliance deadline. You can complain to Jabba if so you desire. The wookiee made an angry growl, and crossed his arms on his chest, which delighted the chuckling trandoshan. -The two gentlemen have arrived a few days before you, and are eager to get their job done.- The Twi'lek explained.- The wookiee as you heard, is Rwokkrul, and the trandoshan is- -Gozzk, Nice to meet you! -The man said, and patted Zayrnic on her back. -Cease physical contact immediately!-Her photoreceptors lighted up red, and she scooched as far as the limited place left on the seat allowed her. When she saw the offended look on her to-be-partner's face, she hung her head low, and adjusted a light shade of blue to her eyes.- Nothing personal. -Eh, it's alright... -Gozzk said and turned towards the butler.- So, tell us what to do.The twi'lek smiled, flashing his pointy teeth, and started talking. -A few days ago my master expected a group of smugglers to arrive with their cargo, an artifact. The purchase was not entirely in the legal boundaries of the Galactic Empire, and the smugglers feared they'd draw attention to themselves if they were to land near the palace, so they took a walking route from Mos Eisley. This was when a raiding party of tuskens, around one third of the way, ambushed and slaughtered them, then took the artifact. From the traces on the scene, we believe they ran for the Northern Dune Sea. -<You talk too much!> -The wookiee growled. -Simply to avoid the annoying 'Why?'-s and 'How?'-s you employees have so much compulsion to stick your noses in to.- The twi'lek frowned his hairless brow. Zayrnic's pattern recognition protocol likened it to badly made pudding.- Anyway, Your task will be to recover the artifact, and make sure the raiding party won't mean a problem anymore. Given the nature of the Tusken warriors, you won't have to worry about prisoners. -The Dune Sea is one nice big sandbox. How are we supposed to find them? -Said Gozzk. -We will equip you with a life sign detector, of course. -The hand held version is a hit and miss for humanoids, we could might as well yell to call them. -Then we look for Bigger targets. -Zayrnic said, and the three other occupants of the booth all turned towards her.- Tuskens use banthas to move their equipment. They are enough big to be found by the detector with certainty. We will track their Bantha herders back to their camp. Rwokkrul noded, and a surprised smile appeared on his face. -<You think like a hunter, metal one. I like that!> -Glad to make you happy.The butler cleared his throat to draw the attention of the table back to his words. -Our analysts estimate that the raiding party has between twenty to thrity members. Most of them are melee fighters but some have slugthrowers, so prepare for that. How you recover the artifact is up to you, both in planning and execution, the only criteria is that the artifact can't suffer damage. Due to its fragile nature, it is contained in a small durasteel safe. You'll recognize it by the symbol of the hutt cartel on its lid. I also feel the need to point out that in the case of causalities, the pay is individually fixed, you won't get the other's wage. Any questions? -Not on my end.- Gozzk said, and looked at the others, who shook their head. -Good. Zayrnic, we have taken the liberty to move your speeder bike in to the motorpool, next to the vehicles of your colleagues. Good hunting! -With that, the Twi'lek got up, and left the table, leaving the three mercenaries alone. Gozzk quickly drank what's left of his drink that was in front of him, then stood up. -Well, let's get on the mission then. Zayrnic, will you operate the life sign detector? I have no spare space on my speeder. -Sure. -Fine. Let's go then!Rwokkrul growled angrily, and stood up too, towering over the trandoshan. -<What do you think, you are the commander? I'll not take orders from you!> -I wasn't giving commands, wookiee. But I'm sure as hell not going to follow your lead either, prey!The two men both flashed their teeth at the other, their hands clenched in to fists. They stared at eachoter's eyes, challenging the other to make the first move. Their deadly stare down was interrupted When Zayrnic knocked on the table with her metal fingers, and stood up too, leaning on the top of the table. -Our current objective requires no leadership. I'd prefer if you didn't tear echoer apart before I can get my payment. We'll discuss roles when necessity arises. As for now, let's get to the motorpool and then go find those Tuskens. How about that? Gozzk and Rwokkrul stared at each other for a few seconds more, until Gozzk turned his back on the wookiee, and left. Half an hour later, all three met again, with the two organics packing up for the journey, while Zayrnic oversaw the installment of the life sign detector on her speederbike. An aleena and a vulptereen worked tirelessly, attaching wires and fastening screws. Both creatures, due to their species of origins, were lacking in height, and their struggle with the assembly amused the droid, whose eyes were now glowing in shiny yellow. After running the checkups and tests, the vulptereen put the system on standby, climbed off the pilot seat, and turned to Zayrnic. -Well, we got this covered. We installed three energy cells, and calibrated the scanner for larger creatures, as you requested. I was afraid I'd have to add more cells to power it, but with these settings, it'll run just fine. The scanner is at your disposal. -Roger roger! Thank you both.The vulptereen and the aleena bowed, then left the droid to herself. Few minutes later, Gozzk came up to her, boasting two small blasters on his belt, and a dozen grenades on a cartridge belt that laid across his chest. -I see you are ready to go. -He said, and leaned on the frontal cooling intake. -You look lovely with this blue pattern yellow eyes thing, by the way.Zayrnic tilted her head. -Eeerm... Thank you. And don't worry. I don't judge your sexual preferences. -No no! It's not that! -The man raised his palms.- I'm no technophile! It's just... -General picturesque magnificence? -Yes. -Gozzk nodded.-General picturesque magnificence. Aaanyhow, Rwokkrul said he is ready, and so am I. We should fire up the engines and go for it. -Agreed. -Said the droid, and sat on her speeder bike, looking down at the display of the newly installed hardware.-This seems to be working in order. -Great! Off to the hunt then! See you at the main gate!With that, he turned around and ran to his vehicle. Zayrnic was sure the trandoshan left in such a hurry because he was embarrassed, but she liked the compliments. Her metal hands danced on the panels, then grabbed the steering controls, and joined her partners. The setting suns shined over the cliff that bordered the door of the garage, casting a long shadow over the canyon. -The range of the sensor is set on three kilometers. That should give enough distance to avoid being detected ourselves. How should we proceed if we find our target? -< We will follow the bantha herd from a distance on the speeders. It'd be suicide to go on foot.> -Rwokkrul said. Gozzk noded in agreement. -Roger roger! Follow me. With that, Zayrnic pulled on the speed lever, and the three began their search. Roughly an hour passed since the trio started their search, and the suns has already fell below the horizon, leaving it up to the stars and three moons to light the night. The sand and the rock started to dissipate the immense heat they absorbed during the day, keeping the desert hot. Gozzk seemingly enjoyed it, then again, his light armor might have had a climate control system built in, Zayrnic thought. The thing that was more surprising is how Rwokrrul endured the heat without a word. She has been analyzing the behavior of her companions, ever since they left the garage. Gozzk, with his nearly always present smile, looked friendly and reliable, but the wookiee... His thick fur made it hard to read his face, and from what little they spoke, the droid came to the conclusion that he needs to be observed closely. He seemed eager to fight, and to hunt. The droid's trail of thought was derailed by the pinging of the life sign detector, showing five big green dots on its screen. She raised her hand to signal the other to stop, and brought her vehicle to halt. -<Did you find our prey?> - Rwokkrul asked, and flashed his teeth in a wide smile. -I think so. These are too small for krayt dragons, but too big for anything else than Banthas. And they are moving. -<They must be returning to camp for the night! We have them now!> -The wookiee laughed. - <Let's follow from a distance.> -Roger roger! -Zayrnic nodded, and fixed her eyes on the screen. Gozzk and Rwokkrul followed close behind, barely even touching the speed handle. The trandoshan checked his grenades, while the wookie readied his crossbow. Zayrnic knew her DC-15 is in top condition, so instead of checking it, she manipulated her painting in to a camouflage pattern, taking up a color much like the original B1s had. Tracking the Banthas took at least an hour and a half, but it paid out, when the scanner finally shown that the creatures stopped, indicating they reached their destination. The trio followed them quite deep in to the Dune sea, and the area that now surrounded them was mostly high hills of sand, with the occasional rock. -The herd didn't move in the last fifteen minutes. I think we can proceed with the mission.Zayrnic said, and got off her speeder, followed by her colleagues. -<And what's the plan now, clanky? I say we charge in!> -That miiight be a bad idea. We don't even know how many they are.-Gozzk objected, and walked next to the droid, evading the growling Rwokkrul in a wide berch.Zayrnic shook her head, and intervened before an argument could start: -Like it or not, he is right. We might would just run in to our deaths. And what kind of hunter let's themselves be killed by their prey? -<I dislike you less and less by the minute!> -The wookiee laughed, and clipped a scope on his crossbow.- <I'll climb that dune there, and see what the tuskens are up to. Don't make me wait.>And with that, he stormed off. Gozzk raised one of his scaly eyebrows. -And I thought my culture is obsessed with hunting... -He shrugged, and then walked after the furry hunter, stumbling on the sand.Zayrnic grabbed her binoculars from her speeder, and followed the men uphill. Her digitigrades legs helped her with grasp, but the loose sand made even her walk more carefully. When she reached the rocky top, she layed down in the large open area between the other bounty hunters. -Well, what are we up against? -The droid asked. -Not as bad as I expected, but still more than what we could directly confront. -Gozzk said.- The camp fires really screw up the thermal vision, so It's hard to see how many tuskens are in the tents. except for that one on the edge of camp. See that? -Yeah. -If that is any indication, there are three or four in every tent. Which means around freaking fifty of them! -Correct estimate. -The droid nodded, and adjusted her binoculars.- Ah, I can also confirm at least seven gunman. Rwokkrul growled in impatience. -<So what's the plan then?? Or are we just going to lay around here?!> -Patience, hunter. Instead of raw strength, we will use tricks. The wookiee growled again, but didn't argue. Zayrnic sat up, and started to draw a map of the camp, scratching it in to the stone with a small rock. -I'm only drawing this for future reference, not to introduce my currently nonexistent plan. -she said- I'm open for suggestions. After moments of silence, Gozzk stopped cratching his chin. -Maybe we could keep using the banthas to our advantage. If we can sneak enough close, I could plant some explosives, and detonate them to make the banthas run amok. -That'd alert the tusken to our presence. And the trampling animals might destroy the artifact. Wichever tent it might be in... -<It's in the one on the northern edge of the camp... The one surrounded with the metal boxes> -Rwokkrul sighed.- <Tuskens don't use such.> -Metal boxes? I completely forget to check for such.Gozzk frowned. -Droids can do that? -Forget? Well, the current example suggests so. -Zayrnic giggled.- Anyhow, I wouldn't discard the banthas. We could use them as a backup plan for after we got the artifact. -<What's your plan then? Sneak in to a camp swarming with the enemy, and sneak out??"> -Uhmmm... -The droid hummed.- Yeah. Rwokkrul huffed deeply, and growled. -<How will I ever get my money from this...> -Through success, obviously. Gozzk will plant the explosives near the bantha herd, while I take a closer look at the camp. After that, we meet up behind that rock, to the north. If anything happens, you will provide us with long range support. Any questions? -Not on my end. -Gozzk interjected after his careful silence -<So be it. But know this: If you leave without me, I Will find you. And I'll hunt you down.> -Noted. -The droid and the trandoshan said in unison, then all three got up, and started to execute their plans. All three moons of Tatooine were in the sky at once, but they were small, so they only reflected enough light from the twin suns to give the night a weak, blue hue. Zayrnic used the limited light to her advantage. Her eyes were now black, but not just to hide, but so she could capture more of the night's light. She also changed her coloring to match the environment, taking on a light blue color, with brown patches. She gave a wide berth to the Tusken camp, and stayed between the rocks and boulders for cover, while she scouted the camp's outskirts. It was to her great relief to find that while the sand peoples' number was high, it wasn't all warriors, but females too, possibly the wives of the males. The tent on the northern edge of their camp was indeed surrounded with crates and boxes that could not be of local origin. The Twi'lek back at jabba's palace told them about the small safe with the hutt cartell's symbol, but she didn't see it anywhere. "They must have taken it inside that tent", She thought. The guards paid not much more attention to it than the camp in general, aside from the two permanent guards next to the entrance. They appeared to have no idea about the presence of the three bounty hunters. Zayrnic sat down, and observed the patrol routes for long minutes, memorizing their paths and turns. All four patrols had three tuskens in them, with one rifle per team. their slugthrowers were not as effective as blasters, but well placed shots could provide lethal, even to her bronzium and durasteel body. As for their gaffi sticks... She heard about droids pried to pieces by them. The timer she started in her background processes reached the end of its count down, signaling the droid to move towards the rendezvous point. She was grateful for her upgraded legs. The rubber padding on her soles absorbed the noise of her steps as she was climbing through and among the rocks, and her digitgrade ankles give her useful boos in agility. by the time she got there, Gozzk was already sitting in behind a boulder, quietly munching on a bar of snacks. -Well, you took your time. Anything useful? -he asked, when Zayrnic got in whispering range. -I think I found the artifact. It's most probably in the tent Rwokkrul mentioned, there. -She said, and pointed out the structure on the northern edge of camp.- There are four patrols in the camp, three of which go by the tent directly. There are also two guards next to the entrance. Any idea how to get in? The Trandoshan flashed a mischievous half smile, and pulled out a long curved blade from its sheathe, that was hidden under his belt. -We slice!Zayrnic tilted her head slightly to the side. -Uhm... That does not compute. All groups are too big to silently take down. -Not that, my friend. You see, this blade is a wookiee skinner. I never used it for such, of course, but , my father insisted on me having it. Anyhow, with this, it'll take little effort to slice into the tent's back, and climb in. -What about the tear in the fabric? -As I said, this is no ordinary blade. Besides, bantha felt is tough material. No one will even notice. We'll squeeze in, grab the artifact, squeeze out, and disappear from the scene. Zayrnic nodded, and check her pistol on her side. -Sounds like a plan. Let's go.Gozzk grinned. -Lead the way, bossdroid. You know the patrols.With that, the two started crawling towards the camp. They stopped in the shadows of smaller rocks when a tusken patrol went by. The warriors grunted a few words to eachother in their native tongue, but shown no sign of noticing the bountyhunters. When the group passed, Gozzk immediately continued his way, only to be held down by his companion. -Wait! -the droid whispered, and a few seconds later, another patrol went by.When they finally reached the back of the tent, Gozzk immediately got to work. He raised his blade, and sank it in to the thick fabric of the tent, and made a long cut, near one of the supports. -There. Now let's get inside!-He said, forced himself inside.Before following, Zayrnic looked around, and made sure the next patrol is not earlier than expected. When she heard no movement, she followed her colleague. When she got in, she carefully pushed the fabric of the tent back to its original shape. The inside of the tent was crammed with boxes, and crates, stacked upon eachother. Some were quite weathered, while others barely had a scratch on them. -We are looking for a safe with the Hutt Cartel emblem on it. -Zayrnic whispered to Gozzk, who only replied with a nod. the duo looked over the containers, as quietly as possible. There were the boxes in which the tuskens transported their archaic guns, while others contained dried foods. -Psst! Hey! -Gozzk wishpered.- Look! -He pointed downwards, behind an column of small ammunition boxes.- Their loot! Zayrnic nodded, and walked over. Gozzk was right. Behind the stack of ammunition, there were some crates that looked brand new, and below them, a grey, durasteel container, with the desired symbol on its lid poking out from under a red toolkit box. -Confirmed match! let's get it!- She said, and carefully freed the prize from under the clutter, and passing it over to the trandoshan next to her. -What? Why do I have to carry it! -He whispered angrily- You are the super strong droid!The droid's eyes lighted up for a second with a dim blue light -Because you are soft and mushy, That's why! You do know what it sounds like to scrape metal against metal?Gozzk just sighed, and took the box from Zayrnic, who quickly grabbed her communicator, and whispered in to it. -Rwokkrul, we are done here. Watch the camp closely, we are leaving soon! -<Actually... -Came the answer- there is a change in plans. I, am leaving. And so does the box. But we are not going to Jabba. And nor do you.> -What are y...- Zayrnic began, but she couldn't finish. The earth tremored with the force of the explosions nearby, and the silent camp suddenly came alive, with the terrified screams of Banthas, and yells in the growling language of the Tusken raiders. -Now That is bad! -Gozzk said, without bothering to whisper, and pulled out his blaster pistol. Zayrnic also grabbed her rifle from her back. -How could he have detonated the explosives?? Don't you have the remote? -He probably shot them, but this is NOT the time for this! Run!When the two bounty hunters stepped out of the tent, They saw utter chaos. All five banthas were running amok, Right through the tents of their owners, and sometimes even the owners themselves. The tuskens that were patroling the camp now all tried to calm the animals down without killing them. -We might be able to slip away, Come on! -Gozzk said, and started to sprint towards the edge of camp. Zayrnic grabbed his arm, and pulled him down to the ground. She remembered that somewhere between the dunes, Rwokkrul was still watching. -Stay low, the wookiee is still out there! -She said, nervously looking for a silhouette, or just a glimmer on the bounty hunter's scope. -Watch out! -The trandoshan yelled, and drawn his blaster in the blink of an eye, shooting the Tusken gunman who was aiming at them, in the chest. The sound of the shot has drawn a lot of eyes on to the duo, but to their luck, the other gunmen were either trampled or occupied the banthas. The gaffi stick warriors in the near however, started running towards them. Zayrnic and her companion quickly sprung up on their feet. The droid, grabbed her assault rifle, and cut down three of the sand people. Gozzk, in the meantime, lobbed a copper colored grenade before the charging warriors, four of whom were knocked in to the air by the following explosion. -Watch the box! -The droid shouted, seeing how Gozzk simply dropped it in the sand. She didn't bother to check if it's unharmed, however, as the charge of the enraged and howling warriors reached them. The droid quickly assessed the situation. She swung her rifle on her back, and grabbed the raised weapon of her first attacker, and while wrenching it out from his hands, she also punched his throat, making him collapse on the ground. Using the newly acquired staff, she blocked the blow of the next tusken, and while he was staggered, smacked his head from the side, for good measure, making him collapse immediately. Seeing the demise of his fellows, the remaining two halted their attack, and searched for weak spots in the droid's defense. In the little time she had, Zayrnic glanced towards Gozzk, and the box. The latter was half buried by the body of a Tusken, while the former dodged and striked like a snake, cutting up the chest of a warrior with his wookiee skinning dagger. Her curiosity gave her opponents just what they needed. They both charged at the same time, working together. one of them raised his weapon to strike overhead, while the other prepared for an undercut. Knowing she couldn't block both, Zayrnic decided to defend her head, and braced for impact. The force of the undercut strike knocked her back hard. She felt as her bronzium armor plating resonated like a bell, and as her inner part's and chips all turn up errors for a split second. She fell on the side of a still standing tusken tent, and slided in to a sitting position. Some of her processors were still recovering from the shock, and her attackers were closing in. She wondered if her days of functionality are over, if she will fade in to obscurity, like all those other B1s before her. The thought of that filled her with anger. She didn't know if her thoughts and feelings were as real as the one's organics had, but she was determined to keep thinking and feeling them. She made a last effort, rerouted her damaged systems to secondary ones, and jumped on her feet. The tuskens, though surprised, continued to close in. What stopped them was the deafening roar of the huge furry figure a few meters behind them. The wookiee was bleeding from a wound on his left arm, and his blaster crossbow hung broken on his back, but he was as eager for battle as ever. He charged at the Tuskens, and swiped them aside, ripping their skin and flesh with his claws, then grabbed Zayrnic by the neck. -<WHERE IS THE BOX???> he roared, and shook the droid. Zayrnic's eyes were burning in red light. -Let go of me you disgusting meatbag! -She yelled, grabbed the wookies' hands, then pried them open. When she fell on the ground, she found her balance quickly, and steeled herself. [my god, this unintentional pun] Rwokkrul slammed both his fists towards her, but zayrnic grabbed them. The servos in her limbs screamed, but stood their ground, as she halted the immense strike of the wookiee. -<You are strong, damned clanker!> -I am No stockmodel! The two grappled eachother, shaking, growling, and creaking. Their deadlock was broken when Rowkkrul roared up and lost his balance. When Zayrnic freed herself from under the pressure, and knocked the wookiee back, she noticed that Gozzk was standing behind him, with his dagger sliding out of a freshly made wound on the wookiee's back. He dodged the huge body with a side step, but he didn't expect the backhand slap his enemy dealt out. He was hit on the cheek, and sent flying backwards. He landed next to the body of the tusken raider who smashed his balster earlier. Zayrnic moved quickly, and grabbed the Gaffi stick she used, then smashed the staggered wookiee's chest, as hard as she could. Rwokkrul huffed as the air rushed from his lungs, and his ribs cracked. He stumbled back a few steps, and launched another attack, raising his fist to bring in a punch. The droid girl evaded with a quick sidestep, and made another hit, right under her opponent's armpit. The enraged wookiee tried to use his huge hands to swipe her away with a backhanded strike, but she knew what to expect, and dodged. she grabbed the gaffi stick with both hands, and thrusted forward, in to the wookiee's lung, with its point. -Die already! -Zayrnic shouted, and when Rwokkrul fell to his knees, She brought in the final strike, on the back of his head, making his huge body collapse on to the sand, and cease to move. It was only after the loud, blunt puff of the wookies body, that she noticed how empty the camp became. She did not pant or heave, which only added to the dead silence of the ruined mass of tents and bodies. The Tuskens either died, or ran off, along with the banthas. The only noise was a weak grunt from behind Zayrnic, from the base of a tent. -Gozzk! -She screamed, and ran to her companion, helping him move in to a sitting position. -Uuugh... Eeeasy there! I hurt everywhere! -I'm a bounty hunter, not a medic. -the droid replied.- Are you able to leave?The trandoshan huffed. -I guess... Just let me rest a bit. Where is the box, by the way?Zayrnic stood up, and few moments later, She dragged the body of a tusken raider from above their objective. She leaned forward and picked it up, tapping it around carefully, looking for damage. -Here. It seems unscketched. -It damned better be. -Gozzk grunted, and got on his feet. -How about we leave this place? -A desirable way to proceed indeed. -the droid nodded, put the box under her arm, and begun to walk to her speeder. After a few steps however, She stopped. -Wait a second. -She said, then turned around. The huge body of the wookiee still laid face down in the sand, unmoving, and next to it, the weapon that ended his life. Zayrnic hesitated for a second, then went back, and picked it up. The weapon, while primitive, was masterfully made. Its balance was superb, and its leather wrapped handle fit in to the wielder's hand perfectly. -I think I'll take this.Gozzk chuckled. -Nothing like the spoils of war. You surely earned it if you ask me.Zayrnic nodded, and hung the gaffi stick on her rifle's belt. -One more thing though... What... Should we do with him? -The trandoshan said, and looked at Rwokkrul's body. -Tatooine has a huge variety of scavengers, you know. -C'mon! We can't just leave him... sure, he tried to kill us. But still. The Tuskens will be taken care of when their people come back, but this guy... -This guy was an asshole in life, and a traitor shortly before its end. I'll waste no battery life on moving him. Gozzk snorted, and kneeled next to the wookiee's body. It took him all his strength to turn him on his back. Then, he placed a small, grey, metallic beacon on his chest, and placed the huge paws of the body over it. -I'll just tell someone at jabba's palace to come back for him I guess. We have to respect our enemies.Zayrnic only nodded. -If that's what gives you peace, fine by me. -It's certainly better than doing nothing... Let's get the hell out of here. By the time Gozzk and Zayrnic were back at Jabba's palace, the twin suns were already scorching the sandy surface of Tatooine. Their trip was quiet. Zayrnic fixed their objective, the red box, to her speeder, While Gozzk towed Rwokkrul's orphaned vehicle with him. When they met the twi'lek butler in the vehicle bay, He shown surprise, but little interest in the missing wookie. When the duo told the story of their mission, he just raised one of his hairless eyebrows. -So the wookiee said he wanted to deliver it to someone else? Curious... It seems we need to do better back ground checks for our employees in the future. -He mused, then shrugged.- Nonetheless, you succeeded in the mission . Given your outstanding performance, I'll split the Rwokkrul's reward between you two. -I left a little beacon on his body. -Gozzk said.- Will you send some people out for it? -Why didn't you skin him on the spot?The trandoshan narrowed his eyes -I'm not... intersted in such, okay? I just didn't want him to rot, out in the desert. -I hope that you'll make do with the mere effort. Even if you paid for it, there wouldn't be much to bring back. the scavengers work very fast in this planet.Gozzk grunted, and shook his head, but didn't object. -Just give us our money then. I can't wait to leave. -As you wish. -The Twi'lek said, and gave both bounty hunter a small case. Zayrnic didn't hesitate to open it up and run a quick count, and when she found everything in order, she made a satisfied nod. Gozzk followed her example. -If we have no further business, I shall leave and see to other matters. We are thankful for your service.With that, the butler stood up, bowed slightly towards both, and then walked away. Zayrnic happily attached the small suitcase to her belt, then flicked her flexible dreadlock forward over her right shoulder. -Excellent! Now I can buy at least three dozen lexicons! -That's... an odd thing to want to buy for a droid. -Why would it be? -Zayrnic asked, tilting her head to the side. -You could download it to your databank. You would come out cheaper too. -Where would be the fun in that? -the droid chuckled. -I gain a lot more joy out of learning my knowledge, experiencing it. -You are a very atypical droid, gotta give you that. -Gozzk smiled, then after musing for a few seconds, he continued. -I could use a partner like you. The droid made her eyes light up brighter, in a warm, golden color. -What do you mean? -Well, We did make an efficient team. And having someone on your side who can kill a wokiee can do a lot of good for one's safety. We could team up, and do our job together. Zayrnic mimicked the response she learnt from organics, and rubbed her chin. -Well, we'd have to split the rewards, but our chances of success would increase drastically... Hmm, processing available data. -She said, and stood motionless for moments. -Offer desirable. I will accept. She said, and offered her right hand to the trandoshan. Gozzk smiled, and shook the droid's hand. -My ship is in Dock 89 In Mos Eisley. It's a GR-45, so you'll not miss it. We can work out the details there. See you there, Partner! ................
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