Chapter 48: Aftermath (Part 5)

The door slid aside noiselessly. The hall turned out to be much smaller than I had envisioned. It was a circular room, at the center of which sat only fifty comfortable sofas with accompanying tables. They were all arranged so that a patron could easily admire the exotic dance of one of the local employees while simultaneously keeping an eye on the movements of the girls on the second floor, which was primarily where they were stationed.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to make out anything in detail. The gloom concealed almost everything, leaving only beautiful feminine silhouettes for viewing. But judging by those alone, every girl there was a contender for model of the year.

"Alright, brother. From here on, it’s every man for himself. Don’t embarrass us."

With those words, that blue bastard slipped away, nearly flying toward his seat.

"Heh, so that’s what the energy of youth looks like."

Hey, I’m young too, for the record.

"Yeah, but you’re as cantankerous as an old man. Though that’s why it’s interesting to drink with you. Everything has its pros and cons."

Right, and who was supposed to be going away for the next four hours?       

Like I said, old man...

The chair wasn’t as soft as I’d expected, but it would do. In any case, my main goal was to slip away to another bar. I didn’t think a prosthetically-augmented invalid would draw much interest. Though, one never knows. I’d sit here for an hour or so. If nothing happened, I’d head elsewhere with an air of indignation.

First, however, I needed to shake my tail. Judging by my senses, someone from our convoy had snuck in here as well. And it was definitely not in my plans for a single living soul to know about my contacts. Right now, everyone needed to be convinced of my loyalty to the Empire and the Emperor. A connection to some droid running a semi-legal business in Hutt Space certainly didn’t fit that model.

So, I had to send a message to King as quietly and inconspicuously as possible. It wasn’t strictly necessary to do it right this second, but since the opportunity had presented itself, it would be a sin not to take it.

While I turned over my future plans, a server droid unobtrusively set down a glass containing... well, it was definitely alcohol. Hard to say more than that. Some citrus notes. Hmm, a tart liqueur and another ingredient I couldn't quite identify.

Not bad at all; actually quite tasty.

Leaning back against the sofa, I lazily tracked the movements of every sentient in the hall. Local beauties would periodically sit down with various patrons. Often, after a short conversation, they would stand up and retreat back into the shadows. But sometimes, a client was softly lured away. For a second, a door behind fabric drapes would crack open, and the happy couple would vanish into the depths of the building. Perhaps I, too, would get to see what lay on the other side.

After ten minutes of idle observation, something shifted on the periphery of my vision. A pair of girls standing slightly apart began to move slowly in my direction. I’m sure they thought they were being subtle and entirely natural, but if you didn't look at them in isolation, the pattern became obvious.

The rest unfolded according to a predictable script. Some seven minutes passed, and one of the girls sat down beside me.

"Hello, mysterious stranger."

"Force, how..."

Agreed, don't even say it, Master.

The young, pleasant-looking Zabrak was the type of woman one wouldn't call beautiful in the classical sense. However, she possessed an indefinable charm composed of numerous details, especially in the dim light. Her burgundy dress accentuated her athletic hips and pleasing bust. Her small horns seemed to be painted with something that made them glow faintly in the dark.

"Well, hello."

"Will you treat a lady to a drink?"

"You can have them all, gorgeous."

I handed over several of the complimentary drinks that had accumulated on my table to the lovely creature.

Through the Force, I could feel her nervousness. Ordinary people with weak wills always find it difficult to be near representatives of the Dark Side. The Force surrounding us begins to oppress them of its own accord, unless, of course, we are intentionally hiding. Besides, my physical appearance was somewhat intimidating.

"Aren't you scared to be sitting here?"

"I am," two brown eyes stared up at me from below. "But I'm curious."

And she wasn't lying.

"Well, let's talk then."

One word led to another, and a conversation slowly took root. The girl turned out to be a pleasant companion. We chatted about everything. I had to carefully steer the conversation away from dangerous topics, though fortunately, that was rarely necessary. The Zabrak girl clearly didn't often get the chance to lead a dialogue rather than just playing along with a client. She spoke actively about herself and the amusing situations she encountered in her work.

Time flew by unnoticed.

"You have beautiful eyes." We were sitting in an embrace. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kamma surrounded by three girls, animatedly telling them something. Well, to the Hutts with him. I had things to do here. "It’s as if they’re glowing a bit from the inside."

"Hah, I'm sure it’s just the atmosphere in here. Your horns stand out in the dark too."

I felt her soft hand tugging at me.

"Come on, let’s go check. The light is a bit different upstairs."

An inconspicuous staircase hidden behind one of the many drapes led us to a spacious, dimly lit room. The only furniture was a large bed and a dresser against the far wall, topped with various drinks. Light filtered through several apertures, but the lamps themselves were hidden. Nothing suspicious, it seemed...

The silky sound of clothing hitting the floor made me turn around.

"Hah, I suppose examining my eyes can wait for better times..."

******

There was a quiet snoring against my armpit. Exhausted by the process, the girl had fallen asleep and was unlikely to wake up for the next three hours. I’d tinkered with that using the Force. It wasn't difficult, given how tired she already was. If she woke up, I wasn't sure I'd be able to leave anytime soon, and I didn't have much time left as it was. My plans were only half-finished.

It was difficult to gently extricate my arm from under her head. I categorically did not want to use the Force. My intuition told me there was a camera in this room, likely more than one. But to the Hutts with them; they wouldn't capture anything supernatural or forbidden. If all the equipment suddenly malfunctioned, it would be even more suspicious.

"Did you have a pleasant time?"

The secretary droid tilted its head, mimicking interest.

"Yes. Can I leave a gift for the girl?"

"Certainly, our establishment has no objection."

The terminal beeped, signaling a successful payment.

"Have a good evening."

"Yeah, thanks... You mentioned you have another bar somewhere?"

"You need to go down three levels. Platform 3.21.3. It is located near—"

"Thank you."

"Have a good evening."

******

"Subject has left the observation zone. Moving toward the landing platform. It appears his tour of the local dives isn't over. Should I follow? I'll have to split our forces. Number Two is still in the establishment."

The ISB agent lurked in the shadows. A tense gaze followed the retreating cloaked figure down the street.

"Continue surveillance. Additional units are being dispatched to your position."

******

Well, that was expected. Someone's gaze was boring into my back again. Apparently, the covert supervision was going to be constant. And that was definitely not part of my plans. I needed to shake him somehow.

If my senses were correct, there was only one observer. And he was close. Knock him out? No, that would immediately raise questions. Plus, there might be a sniper or something similar nearby, someone I couldn't detect due to the distance. I had to remove him some other way and lose myself in the crowd.

Overall, it wasn't even that difficult. I just needed to work out the details.

******

The agent leaned against the wall with relief. The kid had just decided to have some fun elsewhere, though he'd made him run for it. Why the Hutt had he spent so long weaving through those back alleys? They'd nearly lost his vehicle a couple of times.

Who even changes taxis twice? Although, judging by the look of it, the first establishment turned out to be too pricey. The boy had stood for a few minutes studying the menu. That gave the agent just enough time to catch up.

Granted, afterward, he'd had to quickly find another car and descend another ten levels.

Well, fine. The subject was under control and certainly wasn't going anywhere now. Of course, it would be harder to get support down here, and more problems could arise, but there would also be fewer questions. The lower the level, the more leniently they look at accidental corpses. Though, he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Actually, it didn't look like it would. The subject was behaving reasonably. Right now, his full attention was captured by a pretty Twi'lek bartender. The story he was telling seemed very interesting; the girl was smiling widely and laughing, leaning over so that the neckline of her uniform offered a pleasant view.

Apparently, this spurred the youth on even more, and he began gesturing actively with his hands.

But then, it seemed the story reached its conclusion, or perhaps the money ran out. Swaying, the guy stood up from the bar and walked toward his table, where his belongings lay. He’d done this several times already, so anyone would have remembered which bag pocket held the credits. So far, no one had dared to approach and snatch the poorly-guarded cash.

But that was about to change. The kid was just too drunk. If you can't handle your drink, don't do it. But clearly, he wanted to show off for the girl, and this was the result.

Staggering, he bumped into a broad-shouldered Zabrak, nearly slapping him across the face.

Now, that was bad. The agent's hand found the blaster hidden under his clothes. He didn't want to intervene, but you never know.

The entire group sitting at the table began to stand up behind their leader. Their appearance screamed trouble. Numerous tattoos, and in the folds of several of their outfits, the grips of blasters were clearly visible.

Anyone else would have tried to settle the conflict peacefully. But not the subject; apparently, the booze had knocked the last of his brains out.

"Pardon me." The boy stepped back, gesturing wildly. "It's just such a damn good day today. And even if I had hit you, nothing would have changed. Your mug is so ugly, it wouldn't have felt a thing anyway. Oh, sorry, but it’s a fact... So, nah, no apologies. But I can compensate you for the spilled drink..."

"Blast it." The agent liked what was happening less and less. Feigning a wipe of his mouth with his sleeve, he spoke quickly into his comms. "Come in. A fight is starting. Need immediate backup, could escalate to a shootout. Number of hostiles up to twenty. Do I intervene now?"

"No, observe. The support squad has already been dispatched to your location..."

The end of the phrase was drowned out by a wild screeching sound.

The kid was "apologizing" profusely while simultaneously showering the horned thug with insults. The brute was turning red, then pale. Right now, it looked like he was about to pop. Driven to absolute fury, the Zabrak ripped the table up and hurled it at his offender. He missed, though. The projectile passed a few centimeters to the right.

"Hah, you might as well have thrown it blindfolded, you idiot!"

Simultaneously, a young, brazen voice rang out from the other end of the bar.

"Who the hell here thinks they're immortal?!"

The table had landed in a booth where several young men were sitting. Judging by their uniforms and the patches on their sleeves, they were trainees for some private military organization or something similar.

Some, sensing the impending brawl, were quickly moving toward the exit. Others, on the contrary, were happy to participate and were already rolling up their sleeves.

"Me! And what are you gonna do about it, you pipsqueak, eh?"

Apparently, today wasn't the Zabrak's best day. He tried to throw a bottle at the new challenger, but he tripped, and it flew in an entirely different direction.

The sound of shattering glass acted as the trigger.

Dozens of patrons rushed into a general melee. Some ran for the exit but were caught by a stray hand and fell, stunned by a blow. Several people grappled and fell to the floor, continuing to struggle. The entire bar turned into a battlefield.

Swearing under his breath, the agent tried to work his way along the wall toward the subject. If necessary, he had to provide cover.

As if on cue, the Twi'lek girl was dragging the boy by the arm into one of the service corridors. He couldn't lose them, or they'd vanish into the streets. He had to...

He didn't get to finish the thought. A bottle, appearing out of nowhere, sent his consciousness into oblivion.

******

"Go that way. Quickly." The girl's actions contradicted her words. Even as she sent me away, she was pressing her entire body against mine. I could easily catch the pleasant scent of a heated body.

Well, of course. We spent so much time working her over by every possible means. It’s a good thing she samples her own wares at work. Otherwise, we’d have had to sit there even longer. But I must admit, the fight plan was solid. Now, we just need to leave the district as soon as possible.

"Oh no, I have to repay my savior."

Or disappear that way. Though that's incredibly crass.

"You're telling me."

The girl's cheeks changed color. Apparently, that’s how Twi'leks blush.

But it works. Though certainly not on everyone.

"Main thing is that it works. The rest doesn't matter."

"Then come to my place. I have... ahem, a heavy cabinet. I need it moved."

"Lead the way, gorgeous..."

******

I was only free forty minutes later, not counting the travel time. Fortunately, the girl lived close to her workplace. And in this district, clubs and bars were on every corner.

Though it was still a problem. My prosthetics were beginning to throb with pain at every movement. Why did it feel like this shouldn't be happening?

"Yeah, you had to move a lot today. Non-standard load, so to speak."

Do you know where you can go, Master?

"No. Where?"

Dismissing him mentally, I concentrated on using the Force to ease the pain.

The doors of a less-than-prestigious establishment on this street slid open. The sharp smell of cheap booze and something narcotic hit my nose. Just what I needed. My hood securely covered my face. I'd had to steal a scarf along the way, so my mask was also concealed.

I had to pick my way through carefully. I didn't want to bump into one of the bodies in an obviously altered state, languidly swaying to the beat of the music.

The bartender, an alien with four arms, was quickly refilling drinks for his numerous clients.

"Give me something inexpensive but tasty."

"Hah, everything at Old Archie’s is tasty."

The breath and the contents of the glass belonging to the person next to me suggested otherwise.

"I don't doubt it. Then, at your discretion. And where can I make an intergalactic call around here?"

"Here," a small glass of something dark green slid toward me across the bar. "The comms are in the far corner. See where those two Neimoidians are sitting? Yeah, further left, further left. Now you're looking at it. Over there."

"Thanks." The bitter-sweet 'something' scorched my insides and spread through my body in a warm wave. "How much do I owe you? Actually, wait, I liked that. Pour me two more; I'll make my call and come back. Is that alright?"

"Sure thing."

Of course. The equipment is in the furthest corner. You have to pass the bar on the way back anyway.

"Thanks."

A few quick keystrokes, and the call went through. I had to wait a long time—several minutes.

"Deputy Head of the VCT Mining Company, droid BS, listening."

"I’d like to see a certain foul-mouthed piece of hardware. Rumor has it he works for you. That droid was personally assembled by me. Who do I need to see, and where, to resolve this matter?"

"One moment... Request processed. You may visit our representative offices on the following planets..." A long list of the most developed planets in Hutt Space followed. "...Unfortunately, you will not be able to meet with your droid in person at any other locations."

"Super. Understood."

"I hope I was of assistance."

The connection cut.

Curse it, somehow I was going to have to get to the Hutts. And the hardest part was doing it without drawing extra attention, which meant I couldn't disappear for long. I have a few ideas, and I need to think them through thoroughly, but later. Right now, I need to head back. I don't have much time left. I need to make it back to the brothel. But first, I need to destroy this terminal. I even know exactly how I'll do it...