The Bounty

AK-7 came over the intercom with a loud buzz and a series of whistles and reverberations.

I rolled my eyes. "7, human. How many times..."

The intercom crackled, cut out, then AK-7 cut back in. "Sorry sir, my mistake. There are eight troopers out front, and they don't look too happy to see you."

I rolled my eyes again. They never are, I thought to myself. Stupid droid.

I holstered the blaster I had been cleaning in my hand and looked at the one on the table. I had just finished cleaning that one and it was glistening like new. I debated even picking it up. Eight troopers? I could probably handle that many with one gun, but I don't like to take chances, and I ain't gonna start now just because my gun looks pretty. I picked it up and headed for the cockpit. I flashed a glance over at the man locked in my holding chamber.

"Don't you go nowhere now," I shot at him, letting out a small grin.

He looked back at me with a disgusted look on his bloodied face and sneered. I chuckled.

As I entered the cockpit AK-7 whirled around and nearly smashed into the comm relay.

"Sorry sir. They look like they're distressed. Perhaps they're upset about the cantina we destroyed last night?"

"The cantina I destroyed, you mean." I scoffed as I rolled my eyes again and looked out the window at the rag-tag excuse for the city patrol. "I really need a new droid," I muttered under my breath as I turned and headed out.

"Oh dear, oh dear," I heard AK-7 chirp as I walked out of hearing distance.

Stupid droid.

Outside, the saddest group of police troopers waited, standing forebodingly in a half circle around my ship. The one in the middle appeared less ragged than the rest and I assumed he was the man in charge. I stopped at the bottom of the ramp and stared at the man, carefully taking in everything my peripheral vision could grasp. After a thorough assessment of the men and the weapons they carried, I leaned over to rest my shoulder on the ramp pillar and portrayed a more relaxed stance. Still minding my peripherals, I noticed several of the men exchange curious glances.

Nervous guys? I asked myself.

A slight smile pursed across my lips, hidden by my face shield. These outer-rim cops are all the same: self-centered and arrogant pussies, always trying to portray more backbone than they actually possessed. I saw right through them.

You should be.

"Can I help you sir?" I directed to the one in the middle.

He stepped forward and took his helmet off. "My name is Lieutenant Reinhold, and by order of Count Garamond I am here to charge you with the destruction of personal property, and to collect the fine payment. Should you not cooperate, I will be forced to take you into custody for further processing."

This one seems a bit more like a real police officer, I noted to myself. He must have seen some duty in the inner sectors. Not that I was worried in the least, he would still prove a trivial opponent. But, it was honestly a bit refreshing that I was going to be able to speak with someone who wasn't a total prick. Not that it mattered really. He wasn't going to like what I was going to say. But at least the next few minutes would be less annoying for me.

"A fine huh?" I asked the man. "And how much does the Count require?"

"20,000 credits," the officer stated.

"20,000 credits!" I chuckled out loud. "I think for 20,000 credits you could refit that piece of shit joint and maybe even hire a couple attractive serving girls. But from the looks of this godforsaken place, you don't get much business anyways. Besides, my involvement last night was official bounty business. The damage done was hardly my fault. How about I give you 2,000 credits and you buy some new furniture? That's my offer, and a rather generous one if you ask the last guy that declined."

"Count Garamond was very specific - 20,000 credits or you're coming with me. I also don't appreciate your threats." The man seemed quite serious in his statement. He was different from the various others I had encountered in these parts. I would almost feel bad killing him. Almost.

"That wasn't a threat," I stated. "Think of it more as free advice. Nothing's free these days, so that's about the friendliest gesture you're going to get from someone like me. And just so you know, I don't take kindly to seven men with their hands on their guns. If I had wanted to threaten you, they’d probably have already drawn them."

With that statement, the man looked to his right and his left. He lifted his hands, signaling for the men to ease up. They all moved their hands from their guns, but I could still see the tenseness in their stances.

Yup… all the same.

"Sorry about that. They’re just taking precautions," the officer apologized. "But, I'll only ask you one more time. Will you pay the fine, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?"

"I offered you 2,000 credits, and you should have taken it. Too late now. You got my advice, but you ain’t gettin’ my credits. I suggest you take your men and leave officer. I'd hate for your police force to suffer for the greed of a Count." I stood up erect and finished my sentence in the cold and calculated voice that I used when I was dead serious. I was hoping they would understand the gravity of their predicament.

The officer wavered slightly as I spit out the last few words, but quickly regained himself. He looked at his men and nodded. Before the first of them even had their hands on their weapons, two were dead, and the other five were just starting to raise their guns towards me when three more dropped. One got a terribly aimed shot off before he died, and the other starred straight down his barrel at me as a blast of energy went directly through his forehead. The officer jumped to the side and pulled up his weapon to fire, aiming it straight at my face.

Quick reflexes, I thought to myself. But not quick enough.

I walked back inside; eight bodies lay behind me. I almost felt remorse, almost.

Inside, I noticed the man watching intently for me to come back in, and as soon as he saw me, an utter look of despair etched across his face. His head hit his knees and his entire body slumped over slightly.

AK-7 chirped excitedly, “Oh, thank goodness you’re alright sir.” I ignored him and walked over to the cage, a smug look on my face.

“That’s right buddy. You ain’t goin’ nowhere. You thought these pathetic outer-rim cops could save you? Peh… those poor souls didn’t stand a chance. No, you’re stuck with me. Well, at least until Coruscant that is. Someone there is paying a lot of money for you to be delivered, and unfortunately for us both, they wanted you alive. Trust me, you should enjoy your time with me. I have a feeling it’s gonna be way worse once I drop you off.” I laughed to myself as the words came out.

I was probably right though. The message was vague and encrypted to hell. Whomever wanted this man was probably a politician or someone of very wealthy stature. Of course, I wasn’t complaining, with a payout of 250,000 credits. I could take a nice, long break after this one. Although I had to wonder, why had they sent the message directly to me? I’ve had my share of successful bounties, but I was certainly not the most renowned bounty hunter in the galaxy. Something smelled a bit out of place, but I wasn’t about to turn down money like that. My ship needed some repairs, and my equipment could use some serious upgrades.

However, I had to stay alert. I knew that there was more to this whole scenario than was apparent.