Star Forge - Chapter 22

The commandos taking care of the Hutt gave me a sudden surplus of free time. I was completely out of my element. It seemed like I had been going from one thing to another since I got here. I had figured out that the doorway from my quarters on the ship connected to the Warehouse stayed that way unless I dismissed it. My crew and the commandos could freely travel between locations. I had no idea how they were going to launch their ship from the Warehouse, but I figured they had it covered. If not, I would find out shortly.

I walked back into the ship to check in on Anakin. The trio reassembled the former battle droid they had disassembled with some improvements. Reinforced joints, a custom paint job, and a new head that looked more akin to a blank superhero mask. The eyes were simplified with articulated eyebrows but didn't have a mouth. I hoped that it wasn't the new chassis for C3P0. It was blessedly silent without that droid puttering around. The three were too absorbed with work to notice me.

Shmi was currently going through the supplies on the ship. The Warehouse had a seemingly endless supply of basic meals and clean water. We didn't need the ship nearly as much as we did previously. Getting a bigger one was mostly to appear as though everyone would fit.

The trip to the Mandalore system and back would take too long. Otherwise, I'd hop on over, destroy Vizsla in front of his minions, and take control of the operation. The closest destination for my current line of action was Tatooine. There had to be a couple of local slavers that needed to be handled. A Hutt or two at least. Killing one would leave a power vacuum that would be absolute chaos that I could take advantage of. In fact, the death of two Hutts so close together would likely send the slugs into a panic.

"Hey, Red," Adyan greeted me as I stepped into the cockpit.

I wondered how long that nickname would stick once the commandos started to make regular appearances with the crew.

"How are you liking this?" I asked as I took a seat in front of the Holo-Net terminal.

"Being a pilot or being free?" Adyan asked in reply.

"Both," I shrugged.

"It's great," she smiled at me. "This ship is in amazing shape, you've got three gearheads that take care of any problem faster than an entire crew of mechanics, and I don't have to deal with slimebags trying to grope me. I even get paid."

"You're doing a good job," I said giving her a lazy salute. "Let me know if you need anything. Your world shouldn't just be this cockpit."

"I will," she nodded. "Thanks."

I took that as a subtle dismissal. She returned her attention to the controls while I activated the Holo-Net. Jabba was the first Hutt that came up in the search. He was on my hit-list. I also didn't know if there were any other slugs in the area. Nal Hutta was about a day of travel that included a couple of transfers between Hyper Space Lanes. Tatooine was inadvertently a nexus of activity in the galaxy. It had just the right mix of flexible morals and desperate aptitude that created a fertile field for all sorts. The planet might be some sort of cluster of unknown energy. Or it could be that there are so many times it appears in canon that the plot, regardless of story, gets pulled into orbit.

Too many Meta Theories for my taste.

What were the cons of killing Jabba? He was the big slug on the planet. It would definitely send the local criminal network into chaos. People were going to get caught in the cross-fire no matter what I did. I would do my best to mitigate the amount. Jabba had a palace, guards, and plenty of muscle. Collateral damage would be somewhat contained. He was the perfect target to make a splash. It would provide a bit of chaos to cover the other operation as well.

"Adyan," I said to catch her attention.

"Red?" She replied.

"Set course for Tatooine," I ordered.

"Yes, sir," Adyan replied with a lazy salute.

Bo and Beth were currently indisposed. They were the two on the crew that I would take to storm the palace. Infiltrate, not storm, to keep the body-count to a minimum. I needed to remember that. Shoot only the people that weren't smart enough to run.

It would take a little over an hour to get to the planet. I settled into a spot in the lounge and waited. The hum of the engines was soothing.

~

I woke up as the Hyper Drive disengaged. The sub-light engines had a vibration to them and the transition was too abrupt to be gentle. Sleeping in my armor was easy and more comfortable than I thought it should be. It made some sense, a culture of people wearing armor nearly twenty-four seven would lead to someone taking steps to increase the comfort. The plates didn't pinch at the joints, my helmet was snug without being oppressive, and it was incredibly light. I felt strange not wearing it.

Beth and Bo were talking nearby. I got up to find them lounging in the room that Bo had claimed. They both look freshly showered and refreshed. There was also a subtle energy between them that I recognized as a 'well fucked' glow. I would put money on them becoming a regular thing.

"Why aren't you in your room?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"We were waiting on you waking up," Bo chuckled.

"Fair," I nodded. "Do you want to stretch your legs planet side?"

"Which planet?" Bo asked.

"Tatooine," I replied.

"Why?" She asked with a groan.

"I know that planet," Beth muttered.

She looked at me and raised her eyebrows in an unasked question.

"Did I introduce you to my mechanic?" I reminded her. "Anakin Skywalker?"

"Oh!" She drew the word out at the realization.

"What's that about?" Bo asked.

"Dimensional travel," Beth shrugged. "Some stuff overlaps. The details aren't important; this obviously isn't the dimension I know."

"How do you know that?" Bo asked as she turned her attention to me.

"I'm an interdimensional being that is drifting along the waves ley lines that intersect various universes and occasionally snag on a random world," I replied.

"Truly?" Bo asked with something approaching awe in her voice.

"No," I said flatly.

"Jo Beenki," Bo snapped.

I shrugged.

"No, stop distracting me. This is important," Bo sighed. "Why Tatooine?"

"I'm going to kill Jabba the Hutt," I replied like it was a simple chore.

"Why?" Bo didn't quite whine. "You've got a squad of trained killers going after one Hutt already."

"A simultaneous assault on Jabba and Arok will make a bigger statement," I explained.

She narrowed her eyes at me for a moment.

"Bullshit," Beth cut in. "I been lied to by better."

"Fine," I groaned. "Honestly? I was psyching myself up for an assault on Arok then the squad took it. They just woke up and I can't take that from them. Still…"

"You've got your finger on the trigger and someone else took your kill," Bo nodded. "Rushing to kill a crime lord isn't my first idea to get some action. Yeah, he's a slug, but he's got a small army of bounty hunters, thugs, and pirates on his payroll. He doesn't leave his palace unless he has to and when he does, he has a full livery with him."

"You forgot to mention that his hide is too thick for most common blasters to do any real damage," I added. "Walking around with the hardware that can actually kill a Hutt would draw attention."

We fell into a tense silence for a few moments.

"What's your plan?" Bo asked.

"I'll let you know once I take a look at my armory," I quirked my head to the side in a crooked nod to convey a wink while wearing my helmet.

"That reminds me," Beth said brightly. "I need a gun."

"Follow me," I led them to my small armory in the cargo bay that I had used as a temporary room.

Anakin was under strict instructions to leave the weapons alone unless training with supervision. I had no doubt that he would have disassembled most of my stuff if given the chance. Yet another reason I was glad that Tali decided to join the crew. They kept each other busy.

I opened the large container that took up a portion of the wall. Racks of different sorts of weapons were arranged on hooks. Blasters, blades, and ammo set in rows by type. I would have been spoiled for choice if I had access to when I was on Alderaan. Beth let out a low whistle. Bo nodded in agreement.

"Nice spread," Bo commented.

I lifted a something that looked like a futuristic double-barreled shotgun. The barrels were square rather than round. I smoothly broke the action, exposing where the ammunition was placed, and showed it to the ladies.

"Rostovic DB-4 Palica," I said as I showed it off. "It shoots eight miniature rockets per barrel. They can be linked with a helmet for additional guidance. It should be able to punch a hole through Jabba and put a dent in the wall behind him."

I loaded it but didn't charge the shot. Instead, I used a sling to have it hang over my shoulder. Then I moved on to the next weapon.

"Nokota D5," I lifted an assault rifle that could have fit in on Earth. "Slugthrower, thirty round magazine. It's an assault rifle. Good at mid-to-long range, comes with full-auto, semi, and three-round burst options. This model is good for punching through basic armor. It won't get through Beskar, but it should put some hurt on a Hutt as well as clear the way to it."

I set it on the bench that had been my temporary bed, then added three loaded magazines beside it. With that arranged, I grabbed a sleek looking SMG.

"M20 PDW," I said. "Misriah Armory, another hard-light kinetic bolts. Sixty round magazine. Modified with stabilization jets to cut down on recoil."

The SMG and the associated magazines joined the assault rifle on the bench. Finally, I lifted a sleek revolver from a hook.

"Travelers Particle Magnum," I held it up for display. "Recharging power cell. Three settings: stun, kill, and incinerate. This beauty is all mine."

I replaced one of my blasters with the revolver.

"These are my suggestions," I addressed the two ladies. "Grab one if you like or pick something from the armory. Your call."

Bo looked from the weapons that were laid out for display and the racks.

"This looks like the beginning of a wonderful friendship," Bo whispered.

+100 FP
[Guns, Lots of Guns]
+100 FP
[The Lobby Scene Still Holds Up]
+100 FP
[Who Need Salt When You Have Guns?]
[Roll – Bank – Shop]

ROLL.

[COST: 200]
[SKILL: Master Chef]
[You are a fantastic chef, experienced and talented. You can make a damn good meal out of almost anything. Also gives you a pretty good knowledge of different types of food etiquette in different cultures. Never get caught out again.]
[Bookmark – Dismiss]

DISMISS.

[Balance: 500 Forge Points]

~

I looked out of the cockpit window as we orbited Tatooine. We were slowly circling the dusty ball watching the swirling sandstorms. It was rather enthralling when not trying to survive them. We could have landed in the nearby settlement and made our way to the palace. The current rash of sandstorms made that plan incompatible. A hologram of the palace hovered in the air on the dashboard.

"Land there," I said, pointing at a flat area near the palace.

"That's the exterior landing pad," Adyan clarified. "There were a couple of ships there before it started."

"And now they aren't," I said. "Land there, then take off and get some distance once we're out. I'll make a temporary connection to the Warehouse inside the palace."

"That isn't much of a plan," Bo grumbled.

"True," I nodded. "The commandos can do professional. We're doing loud and messy."

"You are dangerous when you get bored," Bo shook her head.

"I appreciate the help, but you don't have to come," I said simply.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily," Bo snorted.

"I just got here," Beth added. "I'm not missing the first chance at some action."

"You plan consists of kicking down the door and blasting anything that moves?" Adyan asked with wide-eyed disbelief.

"No," I shook my head.

"That's good," Adyan sighed.

"We're only going to blast the people that deserve it," I finished.

"I get the ship when you die, right?" Adyan asked.

"No," I shook my head. "Default ownership goes to Shmi."

"That was darker than I expected for some reason," Adyan muttered. "Calculating landing. Brace yourself. It's going to be rough."