"There are too many examples of the Empire breaking its word. It will only swallow you whole, leaving nothing behind!" Lindsey continued, "Dead Hand has operated here for over twenty years. We can't let it be destroyed in the Empire's hands like this. We must stop Nuludin!"
"Mm!" The surrounding people responded in low voices, greedy lights shining in their eyes.
Even if Dead Hand's influence on Nar Shaddaa wasn't massive—being just a dog under the Hutts—it still held considerable value. Those in high positions would at least possess ample wealth.
That was enough to tempt anyone.
"Alright, disperse. Act according to the plan later!" Lindsey stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and picked up the blaster rifle beside him.
The group of more than ten people left the area. Seeing no one paying attention to him, Amir ran to the corner and met up with BD-4.
"Found anything?"
Beep-bloop-bzz-dweet!
"Uh-huh."
The structure of the Dead Hand camp was divided into several parts. He was currently at the edge of the camp, where many side courtyards surrounded a central plaza. Nuludin was waiting in that plaza.
The plaza in the center was similar to a giant stadium with a high roof. At the deepest end was a raised platform; the enclosed space behind it was Nuludin's residence.
It was also where he usually conducted business.
The rest of the huge space in the hall was used for Dead Hand members to gather and rest.
BD-4 projected the footage it had captured.
High up in the hall, a Rodian covered in scars sat on a chair, overlooking the vast plaza.
Below were numerous Dead Hand members—fugitives, bounty hunters, and street thugs who had drifted here. Of course, there were also the pickpockets they trained.
These pickpockets were all young, scattered in various corners, bowing their heads and daring not to speak.
Provoking anyone here would be a disaster for them, especially since sometimes they wouldn't even know how they had offended someone.
"Follow me!" Lindsey suddenly looked over from not far away and waved at Amir.
After telling BD-4 to act according to the situation, Amir walked toward the traitor.
Lindsey, like Nuludin, was a Rodian. As for their appearance... sorry, to Amir, all Rodians looked about the same.
"I've heard of your reputation, Sirdan, so I trust your strength. In a moment, you will stand in this position." Following Lindsey into the plaza, Amir also saw Nuludin sitting stiffly on the high platform. Despite being the boss of an organization, he looked somewhat nervous.
Following Lindsey to the designated spot, Amir found a shipping container. The view from the top was excellent, covering the entire situation of the plaza.
After arranging Amir, Lindsey took out another cigarette and put it in his mouth.
At this moment, an assassin droid walked over. Its cold synthesized voice spoke to Lindsey: "Your brother asked me to tell you: don't try any small moves. He must complete this transaction. If you try to cause trouble, he will no longer spare you on account of family ties."
Lindsey turned his head and looked angrily at the assassin droid. He crushed the cigarette in his hand, threw it to the ground, glanced back at Amir, and then walked straight away.
The assassin droid didn't care about the outcome; it was just a messenger.
But it didn't leave immediately. Instead, it looked at Amir.
"And you, Sirdan. I hope you don't bring about your own destruction. Be clear about your own strength." After speaking, the assassin droid's head rotated one hundred and eighty degrees to the back, and it walked away.
Amir was baffled. The situation seemed to be roughly this: Nuludin, as the boss of Dead Hand, wanted to trade this accidentally acquired artifact with the Empire. However, his brother Lindsey and a group of underlings didn't accept this approach—whether due to ideology or profit—and decided to rebel.
And the identity Amir had stolen, Sirdan, was a thug hired by Lindsey. There were quite a few others like him, all arranged by Lindsey in different locations.
This was Dead Hand's internal affair. Amir was too lazy to think too much about it. He jumped onto the top of the container, took out his blaster pistol, and observed Nuludin.
The Rodian was worried. On the table in front of him sat a cylindrical alloy safe. He tapped it rhythmically with his fingertips, seemingly unintentionally.
Soon, the assassin droid from before returned to his side, standing by the seat like a bodyguard, waiting.
There were many structural differences between assassin droids and battle droids. Unlike the solid, moving-bunker-like bodies of battle droids, assassin droids were slenderer and more flexible.
All limbs were connected to the torso and could rotate rapidly around the center, including the head and arms.
This structure allowed it to adjust its line of sight to any desired direction in an extremely short time. The arms and the blasters in its hands would rotate and aim immediately after, locking onto any enemy around with zero blind spots.
Coupled with the precision systems within, they became highly efficient killing machines.
Amir paid special attention to this assassin droid, then began to probe the safe by Nuludin's hand with the Force.
But under the vision of the Force, he didn't find anything unusual.
If it were an artifact related to the Force, there should be at least some Force reaction, especially given how much it had been hyped.
Could it be in some kind of concealed state? Or was it truly just a purely mechanical creation, as Joan hoped?
If it was the latter, Amir was actually looking forward to it more.
Just as Amir was letting his thoughts wander, a group of people walked in through the main gate of the plaza.
The one at the very front was the familiar Grand Inquisitor.
. . .
Milisen followed Kexi, moving stealthily across the rooftops, avoiding many eyes.
"How are you so skilled at this?" Milisen couldn't help but ask.
"I walk this path often." Kexi didn't look back, continuing forward. "We need to jump over here."
The two reached a gap nearly two meters wide, with a drop of over ten meters below. Kexi jumped over without hesitation, then looked back at Milisen encouragingly.
Milisen felt a bit slighted by that look. I'm brave too, okay? So she used the Force and easily jumped four or five meters, soaring over Kexi's head and landing on the roof on the other side.
Kexi's eyes widened.
What kind of monster is this? How can she jump so far?
Are Twi'leks naturally this strong?
"Hehehe." Milisen smiled proudly seeing his shocked face.
Surprise aside, Kexi took two steps forward and said, "See that complex of buildings ahead? That's the Dead Hand camp. You must follow me closely, or we'll be discovered."
Kexi expertly navigated the rooftops, following a hidden path until they reached the roof of the camp itself.
"Keep your voice down. The surveillance here is very strict." Kexi pried open an iron plate beneath his feet, revealing a pitch-black passage.
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