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| - His name was Meridan. The year was 3,686 BBY. He was sixteen years old, born in 3,702 BBY. He pushed a crate up the ramp into the cargo bay of the Distributor. "How did it go?" Deimus asked. "Good," Meridan said. "Very good," his father agreed. "We got the spices and the gold," his mother said. "Both?" Deimus asked. "Both," Streg Onè confirmed as he levitated a crate in. "Good," Deimus exited down the ramp and started pushing crates into the Distributor from the hijacked cargo shuttle. They pulled, pushed, and levitated the rest of the crates into the ship. Meridan's father grabbed his hat and headed to the control room. Meridan followed his father, as did Deimus. “I'm getting too old for this,” Meridan's father said as he took the controls. “Don't say that father. Smuggling is the greatest job in the galaxy. I don't ever want you to stop. It's so much fun to work as a team,” Meridan laughed. “It sure is,” his father agreed. He then leaned into the intercom, “Prepare for lightspeed.” “Where're we headed?” Meridan asked. “Nal Hutta,” Deimus said. Meridan nodded, then exited the control room. “Does he know?” Deimus asked. “Not yet. Soon, very soon, I'll have to tell him everything. But not yet. I will hold off as long as safely possible,” Meridan's father rubbed at his hat nervously as he spoke. “This could get ugly, very ugly, very quickly. We are treading in very dangerous waters,” Deimus added. “Yes, I know.” □□□ Meridan exhaled slowly. He drew in air, and exhaled again. His eyes were closed, he was sitting cross legged on the floor in dark room. He was meditating. Streg Onè was sitting next to him. The Kel Dor was running his finger along his hook, breathing in sink with the teenage Human next to him. His hood was up, casting a shadow on most of his face, and his cloak was spread around him, like a pool of water. Meridan drew a breath, exhaled, and felt himself slipping away. Almost as if he was falling a sleep, but not quite, his mind fell away from the Distributor. □□□ The ship was flying through hyperspace. Seven beings were seated around a table: a Duros, holding a blaster; a Kiffar, with two knives; two Dugs, armed like the Duros; a Rodian and a Whiphid, both armed with metal rods; and a large Human, holding a curved blade. “How much longer?” the Rodian asked in Huttese. “Soon,” the Whiphid answered in the same language. “It better be. I'm ready to kill,” the Kiffar said in basic. “We must get the job done,” Duros snapped, also in basic. “Yes,” the Human agreed. “We will get the job done, but our weapons will taste flesh and blood once more.” “They will put up a fight,” the Duros said. “They better,” the Kiffar said, “I like a challenge.” "Don't get too cocky,” the Rodian warned, this time in basic. “They're just a bunch of Humans,” one of the Dugs said. “Average Humans,” the other Dug quickly amended looking at the large man in across from him. “There's also a one handed Kel Dor,” the Whiphid pointed out. “He's mine,” the Kiffar said. The others nodded in agreement. □□□ Streg Onè opened his eyes and stood up. “What is it?” Meridan asked. “I must speak to your father,” the Kel Dor ran for the control room. “Wait!” Meridan called, jumping up and running after him. “What is it?” Streg burst into the control room, and Meridan followed seconds after. “Turn the ship around!” Streg commanded. “What?! No. We have to finish the deal,” Meridan's father said. “Captain!” Deimus looked in horror at the pilot. “What is the problem?” Meridan asked nervously, he had never heard Deimus call his father that before. “Nothing. Everything is-” Meridan's father began, but Streg cut him off. “They are waiting for us.” “We must finish the deal!” “No! This is madness,” Deimus yelled. “What's going on?” Meridan's mother had entered the room. “Yes. I think I would very much like to know,” Meridan stood looked at the other four. “There's something I need to tell you, son,” Meridan's father said. “Gold and spice weren't the only things in those crates.” “What?” Meridan asked. “Information,” Deimus said, “though of what kind, I cannot say.” “And our client isn't the only one interested,” Streg said. “Another party,” Meridan's mother said. “And they're coming after us, for the goods,” his father finished. □□□ “Time to awaken our friends,” one of the Dugs said. “Do we really need them?” the Kiffar asked. “Yes,” the Rodian said. “We run less of a risk with them,” the Whiphid added. The Human and the Duros stood up and walked over to a storage compartment. They worked together to lift the lid away. Inside, metal glittered. The Human and Duros pressed buttons on risk controls they were wearing. Something inside the compartment began moving. Several somethings. “Twelve of them,” the Duros said. “Twelve Hunter Killers.” □□□ The Distributor landed on Nal Hutta. Even as the crew was gathering in the cargo bay, Meridan started feeling uneasy. Streg was rubbing his hook, Deimus shifting from foot to foot, and even Meridan's father was gripping his blaster pistols tightly. Meridan grabbed his own pair of pistols, and watched as the ramp began to slide down. It revealed a muddy, broken landscape. Pools of acid, broken buildings, muddy rocks, and misshapen crates were everywhere. The entire crew held its breath for almost a minute, before they were certain nobody was there. “All hands, begin unloaded the goods,” Meridan's father called. Then he turned to Streg, “Turn the ship around. What stupid, foolish, kriffing-” but he never finished the sentence. There was the sound of a blaster firing and Meridan's father crumpled to the ground, blood streaming from his neck. “Sorry about that, but you know, business is business,” a male Duros with a blaster stepped out from one of the tumbledown buildings. “Thank you so much for bringing me my cargo,” he added. “You killed the captain!” one of the crew members yelled. “I chose correctly then,” the Duros said. He pressed a button on a wrist control. All around the Distributor, HK-series assassin droids came into view. Meridan guessed there were between ten and fifteen of them. “What is your command?” one of the HK droids asked. “Kill 'em all,” the Duros laughed. Blaster fire erupted around Meridan. He dove to the side behind a crate. The crew were pulling weapons out and diving for cover. Along with the droids and the Duros, a Whiphid, two Dugs, a Kiffar, a Rodian, and a huge Human charged towards the ship. Streg Onè pulled out a knife and slid next to Meridan. “Be careful, Meridan,” he whispered. Before Meridan could argue, his mentor jumped out and charged towards the enemy, along with most of the crew. Meridan stuck his head up over the crate, and began shooting at the attackers. “The one handed is mine!” the Kiffar yelled. He charged at Streg, wielding two knives. Streg caught the Kiffar's blades with his, and the two began to duel. Streg fought with his blade and his hook, catching and parrying the Kiffar's every move. Streg caught one of the knives in his hook, and twisted in a way that threw the knife from them. The Kiffar kicked the Kel Dor to the ground, and was about to stab him with the remaining knife when Streg swept his legs out from under him. Meridan watched his mentor stab his opponent with the knife, and rip out the man's throat with his hook. Streg stood back up, his metal hook gleaming red. The Rodian charged at him with a metal pole, and swung it up over his head, and back down towards the Kel Dor. Streg caught the pole in his hook, flipped it into his own hands, and ran the Rodian through with it. Meridan nailed one of the Dugs with blaster fire, and he fell. The crew of the Distributor was faring similarly however. They fell quickly to the HK droids. Deimus grappled with the second Dug and broke its neck, but the Whiphid hit him over the head with a metal rod like the Rodian's. Meridan began blasting the Whiphid, which attempted to turn around and attack, but caved under the heavy fire. “Grab the goods,” the Duros ordered several of the droids. “Never. You will not escape,” Meridan's mother called over to the Duros. She dove out from her cover, and snatched up her husband's weapons. “I don't think so,” the Duros blasted her in the forehead, and she fell next to her spouse. “Mom!” Meridan yelled. “Oh, you lost your Mommy,” the Human said. He kicked Deimus in the chest, and slit his throat with his curved blade. He then advanced towards Meridan, who looked around and realized he was the last man standing. “You will pay for this,” Meridan said, backing away. “No. I will get paid for this,” the huge man laughed. Meridan lifted his blaster pistols, but the man used his free hand to throw a crate into them, knocking them away. “Your Mommy and Daddy are dead boy. There's no one to protect you now.” And with that, the huge man leapt towards Meridan, easily covering the distance between them. Meridan screamed and dove away, to no avail. Right as the man was about to crush Meridan, he jerked backwards as if on a leash, and hung midair. Meridan starred at the man. The man spat and snarled at him, a look of hatred on his face. It quickly turned to fear as the man began rasping for breath and clawing at his neck. Meridan looked around and saw with sudden relief that Streg Onè was still alive as well. He was standing across the ship from Meridan, his hook raised in the direction of the man. Blood dripped from it as the Kel Dor held it there, unmoving, choking the Human to death. He went limp, and Streg tossed him into several of the droids, crushing them. The Duros picked up Meridan's father's hat and put it on. “Nice fit,” he commented. “The hat!” Meridan exclaimed. “Bye bye,” the Duros called. The droids had just finished loading the cargo onto his ship. “No!” Meridan called, but the assassin droids began laying a cover fire as they backed up onto the mercenaries' ship. Streg closed the ramp of the Distributor. “We must live to fight another day,” he said. “Yes,” Meridan agreed. “Prepare for hyperspace,” his mentor said. The End of Part 2 Part 1–Part 2–Part 3
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