Star Wars: Force Bound 14 Meeting The Crime Lord

"I already told you. It was a nuisance to track you but as long as you are on Nar Shaddaa we will still find you. The first mistake you made would be making a scene at the casino I guess...Then there is that little accident with the Wulrang gang..."

The merc leader looked back at him over his shoulder.

"That about answering your curiosity? For a smuggler, you are rather laid back to let yourself get caught in so much trouble."

"It´s just that we didn't expect to be hunted down and end up in so much trouble in the first place." Jack also joined the conversation before Ben said something stupid. "Also, that Wulrang gang. Is it a very big gang around here? I would hate to have constant trouble with such a gang because of someone else..."

The merc leader chuckled again. "A rather big group, but mostly engages in stupid operations. And they are on bad terms with Grakkus. That means we will protect you from them if they try anything. If that is what you are worried about."

"I am not sure if telling me that really makes things better. So they will be angry no matter what.", sighed Jack.

"Meaning now we will never get on good terms with those trigger happy gangsters.", confirmed David. "Since these fools can't understand me while I talk in my native tongue I will mostly use it to talk with you two. I think it´s a good way to keep secretive for now...Anyway, can you handle the negotiations, Jack? I don't trust Ben with that sort of thing...At least not for now."

"Hey. That hurts my feelings, you know." Ben immediately reacted to his friend's words. "But I guess you may be right about it." Then he just looked at Jack with some expectation.

"You actually can understand that gibberish?" The merc asked from the front and seemed to have become curious about David´s words.

"Sure can.", answered Jack. "My friend just mentioned to me what you were talking about when I was still knocked out. That, and the accusations he threw to my pal of having made a mistake with a.s.signing those cargo transporters the wrong item. Anyway, what exactly has Grakkus against us? We delivered the cargo just as demanded per contract."

Ben listened and remained silent with the quick thinking of Jack. He made a slip of his tongue since he was still talking in basic. And Jack seemed to try to get some more information out of these guys.

"Your little friend seems to be afraid, huh. Can't really blame him." The merc was looking at David. "But if you really want an answer you will have to wait until we are there. I was only told that he was not happy about the delivery. And if my hearing was not all too bad he considers you thieves."

The merc leader tried to explain a little before they finally arrived at a hovercraft that looked like a transporter. "Get in. And from here onward you keep quiet. You better spare your breath and excuses for Grakkus. I won't be able to help you."

"Well, I guess that is how it goes..." Jack´s mood worsened a little bit because he couldn't get more out of him.

---

Later after a somewhat lengthy and most of all silent flight they arrived at what looked like a ma.s.sive storage area.

When the group walked out of the transport they could see various people standing in groups some distance away from the landing zone. Most of them even started starring directly at them and even some grins could be seen here and there.

"Cozy..." Ben commented while looking around and noticing the atmosphere that was really becoming thin. So much that one could suffocate in it.

Jack was even worse of since he could feel the various feelings those individuals were emitting from themselves. It was as if cold water was poured all over his body. There were definitely a lot of murderers here among the people.

Hovering his eyes over the people Jack definitely knew how wrong negative emotions could feel when they have gathered around in ma.s.s.

It was actually surprising that the soldiers from the mercenary group that caught them had much better control over their emotions. Even while staring at the merc leader´s back Jack hardly could tell anything from him.

But those other thugs were another story. Maybe it was just easier to feel emotions when they are laid bare? Those guys are plain and simply aiming their killing intent at them after all.

"Don't get all wet between the legs, kid." The merc said to Ben and lead them further into one of the buildings.

After they entered the building they were shortly stopped by some other guards and then with them joining as escorts they finally arrived in front of a ma.s.sive slug.

It was Grakkus. The current crime lord of this sector of the moon.

Ben frowned after seeing what this slug looked like. It was huge and weirdly muscular - buff even. And those mechanical spiderlike legs that were implanted at its lower body sure looked sharp and especially strong enough to skewer people.

"Ugly motherf.u.c.ker.....But now you know what we meant, Ben." David whispered as much as possible.

"Are you sure we will get out of this situation?" Ben whispered back.

Then one of the mercs b.u.mped him. "Stop talking."

"Alright, I got it." Ben could only complain slightly.

Jack stood in front of his two friends and stared at the Hutt through the visor of his helmet.

Grakkus looked at him and said something in huttese to one of his other goons that stood close by.

The goon walked over and grabbed Jack´s helmet and pulled it off.

"Hey! Watch it!" Jack grimaced and tried to defend himself to keep it on but failed with his cuffed hands.

"What? Don´t get sa.s.sy. The boss wants to make something sure."

"And what does taking my helmet off accomplish?" Jack asked back and glared at the guy that took his helmet. His yellow eyes clearly glinted a glare at him.

And just for a second Jack could feel fear in the goon's emotions while he twitched lightly after looking at his face.

The goon then averted his gaze and looked at Grakkus.

"I just wanted to see the face of the one I am talking to." Now it was the Hutt talking in basic. "After all, I just wanted to make something sure...Is it him?" Grakkus looked to another guy that had a holographic device that showed an image of a white male person.

"Nah, boss. This guy is all red and s.h.i.+t. Even another race. Not the guy that was supposed to be in the carbon plate." The goon answered and deactivated his gadget.

Jack felt shocked but tried to remain calm. Then he frowned a little bit. "Are you thinking that I am the one from the carbon plate? That is kinda insane, don't you think?"

Grakkus just looked at him without any change in his facial expression. Sure enough, this guy was as ugly as a slug is. "One may never know...I have seen weird things happen a lot. And it is better to be safe. Anyway, that still does not make you free of suspicion. Where...is the man that was supposed to be imprisoned..."

"We don't know. We already found it like that. We even had to sneak past other smugglers that kinda made war over that thing. What was even so important about a frozen human? It is not a bounty mission after all." Ben now started talking after being annoyed about the accusations.

David and Jack looked at him displeased for that little bit of talk he just did. They did talk about Jack negotiating.

Grakkus talked in huttese again and after a goon looked through a holopad and nodded, he talked with the three again.

"It was a relict of a few thousand years old. And my information said it was still intact.", explained Grakkus.

"Well, then that information is incorrect. We definitely don't have the person." Jack just played along and build his confidence on the fact that these guys didn't figure out that he was the one imprisoned in the carbonite.

Of course, he wondered how they got that information but also how the pieces of information seems to be wrong?

Jack did want to ask David but when he glanced over at his little friend he could feel him being nervous for some reason. It definitely had something to do with it and Jack just kept silent just for the fact that David was keeping silent himself and even was whispering a minute ago.

"I don't care. You took my money for a mere metal frame..."

Jack frowned. "Of course we will give back the money. We will even not charge you for our service if that is what you are worried about."

"No...I am not sure how I should really deal with you. I have been in this business long enough to know who is a rat and who isn´t...."

´As if you dumb f.u.c.k. You even let Darth Vader infiltrate your organization...´

"How about this? To make up for it we will take a riskier job for you this time. Normally we keep our distance with too sketchy jobs but for good future cooperation, we will risk it. But I still gotta ask what kind of relic a living human is? Why bother collecting frozen bioma.s.s?"

Grakkus raised his arms and suddenly the hall they were in became very bright. Now it was easy to see what was actually inside this room. There were many things standing in the room.

Jack looked around and easily could see that there were many different items portraying Jedi.

"Jedi artifacts..."

"Correct. The person inside the plate was actually a Jedi. And I love collecting things about Jedi. As you may see here. Well, I will give you another chance. There is actually a very special mission I want you to do for me. And this time I hope you won't fail."

"All that because of a s.p.a.ce wizard?"

"They do exist and they can really do as told in the rumors." Grakkus met Ben his skepticism by telling him that they exist. Looks like even now Jedi were rather mysterious monks more than anything else.

"Ben, shut up." Jack frowned at Grakkus then. "So you are collecting illegal goods...For this, we could all be going to jail for millennia."

"And you brought me a potential illegal good. Besides, you are smugglers, are you not?"

"...Fine. What is that mission you were talking about?" When he asked that Jack´s eyes landed on vitrine were a lot of lightsabers and holocrons were placed inside. Thinking a little bit a smirk appeared on his face.

"You will scavenge a destroyed s.h.i.+p my scouts found in s.p.a.ce. Venator cla.s.s. That means if you find Jedi artifacts inside it you bring them to me."

"How much is the pay?"

Grakkus now laughed. "Your life." Then he gestured to another goon. "You will also not be alone. There are some other people I have brought that will be coming with you on this expedition. They will wait for you at your s.h.i.+p."

Then Grakkus started to walk away. "And you better don't disappoint me this time."

With that, the mercs released them from their handcuffs and then brought them back outside where the transport was still waiting and would bring them back to the s.p.a.ceport.

"At least we are not dead..." David now breathed in relief.

"Maybe not yet..." Jack smirked and David knew what that expression meant.

"What did you do? Do I have to be mad at you as well?"