The wind whistled behind me as I sat in the back seat of the Speeder, clutching blasters in my hands. We had to fit into one, as Somnia's machine became useless a second after we tried to drive away. It's a good thing I noticed them falling behind immediately, or we would have driven off into the sunset, leaving them to their fate.
A canyon opened up before us—a real labyrinth of rocks with the chaos of battle that reminded me of old times.
When hell thundered all around and you didn't know which side the next blow would come from. I remembered my life as a Helldiver as if it were yesterday: the incessant battles against Automatons—metallic monsters that attacked without knowing fear. We fought for the future, for freedom.
For shitty Super Earth.
A rocket slammed near us; failing to react in time, Kanto swerved the wheel, nearly smashing our Speeder into a rock, from behind which a tangle of a Tusken emerged, strangling some bandit with his bare hands. Both were wheezing with rage, feeling no pain for different reasons; they were zealously trying to kill each other, but then another rocket exploded nearby—tearing both to pieces.
Damn! Death in war always came unexpectedly, just like now.
A vague gloom of smoke and explosions shrouded the space, and the echo of battle cries was covered by a multitude of rifle and blaster shots.
A machine gun rattled somewhere in the distance, but because of the cursed echo, it was unclear how far away it was. Perhaps as soon as we turned at the next fork, a burst of heavy-caliber bullets would stitch through this cardboard box?
It was as if I were back in the jungle, where bullets whistled, piercing to the very heart.
The agitation in my chest intensified as the Speeder raced through the canvas of the canyon, dodging the muzzles of bandits and desert tribes who were fighting each other.
Adrenaline had apparently replaced my blood, for instead of fear or healthy danger, I felt only calm and satisfaction.
I had to close my eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, helping myself to calm down. I had to take everything more seriously; after all, we aren't clones...
Every time we hid behind another rock, I squinted my eyes, expecting an attack, remembering how I had more than once led my brothers-in-arms into battle in similar labyrinths of rocks or tropical trees.
I saw one of them fall when an enemy bolt pierced his armor. And I couldn't let that happen again to those surrounding me now.
"Hold on tight!" Kanto's vicious snarl hit my ears. The boy gripped the wheel with such force that he threatened to snap it at any second.
With a jerk, he swerved the Speeder to avoid a burst from a blaster that flew in an almost solid line right over our heads. I instinctively pressed the thick straps of my load-bearing vest with steel plates to my chest, refocusing my attention on the enemies scattering along the canyon walls.
This world is so wild and merciless that sometimes it seemed to me it was going mad. The bandits fought like rabid dogs, and the tribes threw themselves into the offensive with hoarse cries, as if not understanding what horror awaited them. This was the very chaos I remembered, and it resonated so well with my habits.
"At three o'clock! Bitch, starboard side, starboard side!" suddenly rang through the din of war. I looked to the side, and my eyes met an explosion that opened a ghastly abyss around itself. A wall of stones collapsed, burying several men awkwardly sprawled on the ground.
Through the rock, one of the bandits' large ships flew right at us. Covered in Tuskens, it swerved from side to side. Its cannons fired in all directions, and the helmsman was simultaneously drinking, fighting, and trying to cheer on the crew!
I pulled out a blaster and took aim. The trigger was the most reliable friend when hell reigned all around. A dull whistle sounded, and a discharge of energy flow cut through even my grim thoughts as I rapidly searched for my target.
The bandit, with his hollowed face, suddenly froze, staring at me in horror before falling face-first into the sand. Second, third, sixth, eighth, eleventh...
The ship flew right behind us, but thanks to its mass and armor, it easily overcame the small rocks we had to go around. The damn vessel moved like a drunken shark, constantly threatening to swallow our little Speeder through a hole in its bow.
"We need to get out of here!" I shouted, turning to Kanto. His face was covered in sweat, and his eyes were rolling wildly from side to side, trying to keep track of everything at once.
"You're right, bitch! Always right, brother!" he shouted, maneuvering the Speeder between furrows of earth and explosions of ammunition backpacks. "I love your brilliant ideas!"
He sharply directed the machine toward a narrow passage between the rocks that seemed created only to let death in after it. I huddled in the seat as we rammed through this gap, through which vortices of dust and stones rushed along with us.
The collision was painful. The sides of the Speeder were crumpled, but it was still running.
From the impact, some people bumped foreheads with the seats in front... Yes, we went through all the surfaces of the cabin with our bodies.
Someone cried out in pain, and in the next moment, our Speeder flew into a squad of retreating Tuskens, knocking half a dozen nomads to their deaths.
Blood hit my face. Smelling of sweat, the body of a desert dweller fell between the seats, and the right half of his body dangled from side to side, occasionally hitting us with a hand or foot.
Pinning the disobedient upper limb with my knee, I leaned out of the Speeder slightly, starting to fire at those who came too close.
Following my example, the others also pulled out everything they could and began discharging magazines into the crowds of enemies scurrying everywhere.
"There they are!"
The bandit ship trailing us was knocked aside by another, much larger and more massive one. Easily sending its comrades to the other world, it set a course right for us, and on its bow stood the machine gun I didn't recall with any joy.
"Motherfucker! We need something bigger than a blaster. Any ideas?"
"We didn't take anything truly powerful! The plan was different! We shouldn't even be here anymore!" Over the wind, Somnia shouted this into my ear, then turned on the spot and opened erratic fire on the ship's deck. Not falling behind the girl, I followed her example, as did everyone else...
There was no point to it, though. But the first burst that successfully hit back—tore Zwei's arm off at the elbow.
"Brother..."
Without wasting a second, I pulled the belt from my waist and, in a couple of moves, tied off his stump. Zabraks are tough guys, and I only hoped our situation wouldn't get worse.
Though we weren't the only hunted prey. Under the howling cries of their tribesmen, several Tuskens fired harpoons with reels at the ship.
Five, seven, ten cables began to follow the ship.
The reels creaked furiously, the bandits screamed something unintelligible, and I counted the seconds.
The sharp sound of an impact and the nasty screech of tearing metal hit my ears. The ship jerked as if from a slap. Braking sharply, it veered to the right, but the continuing engines pushed it further forward, causing the entire starboard side to be ripped out in one large piece.
Failing to level out, the vessel slammed into one, second, third... Rocks met the ship's path, one after another, forcing it to constantly swerve, collecting all obstacles, even the largest.
The final test was a pair of adjacent rocks that, like pitchforks, impaled this mighty beast, tilting its nose upward.
The screech of metal was deafening. Raiders fell overboard, for the most part. And the vessel, with its nose pointed to the sky, tried to overcome the pair of rocks but ultimately got stuck and stopped.
A couple of meters of slow movement and the ship froze... for a couple of seconds.
Under the weight of such a carcass, the rocks gave way, and the vessel, along with them, toppled onto its side, burying everyone who tried to jump off the ship in that direction.
"Brake."
"What? You're crazy! I'm getting out of here! If you want to die so badly then..."
As he spoke, Kanto turned his face to me, and meeting my eyes just once, my brother nodded convulsively, slowing the Speeder, allowing me to jump onto the scorched sand.
"Hide somewhere... I'll be quick."
Grabbing one blaster, I walked quickly to reach the fallen vessel, not listening to the indignant cries behind my back. I had to hurry; who better than I to know that when such things fall—the crew dies very quickly.
The first bandit crawled out on his hands alone. Right through one of the holes, he fell down, moaning painfully, but apparently not fully realizing he was left without legs.
Kneeling beside him, I jammed the muzzle of the blaster into his clearly broken ribs.
"Who's the senior on this tub? Well! Answer!"
"Shrike... Shrike is in charge..."
"Where is he?"
Whining and begging me for mercy, the bandit began to answer my questions through tears.
"Crushed him, the bridge was crumpled, he was impaled on the steering wheel like a port whore on a rancor's dick..."
"How lovely..." Pressing the muzzle into his ribs, I repeated the question a couple of times just in case, making sure the future corpse was telling the truth. "Is there anyone else? Anyone who passes for smart?"
"No, there's no one there, everyone was thrown off the deck when the Tuskens harpooned it..." The bandit began to breathe heavily, bruises appeared under his eyes, and he paled in real-time. "Everyone who was below deck..."
He tried to imitate the sound of crushing, but his lips were no longer obeying him.
"Bitch." Grabbing him by the collar, I gave him a couple of slaps, bringing him to his senses one last time; it was clear the man was already closer to the grave than to my questions. "Who is your main boss in the gang? Who is the leader? Captain? Boss..."
"Boss? Jabba..."
"Jabba? Jabba the Hutt?"
"Of course... Who else, you idiot... This is his planet," the bandit bastard's eyes closed, but at the end, he grinned in a crooked, toothless smirk, "and you'll understand that soon."
***
A couple of weeks later.
Standing in his new home in Mos Espa, Kaoru drank whiskey from a distant Ice World, the name of which he didn't even intend to remember. His mood was magnificent, and there were no reasons to be upset.
Everything went like clockwork, and nothing more was needed. The role was played in the best possible way, and now he deserved his rest in a new home full of slaves and money, which would be enough for the rest of his short life to spend his final years with flair.
The spacious building, looking more like a palace, seemed a real paradise.
His old little house, which was considered a luxury on the savage side of Tatooine, looked like a hovel against the background of this miracle.
Four floors, electricity everywhere, droid cleaners everywhere, security, water, female slaves.
A real gentleman's set. But even that! This was all considered only the initial stage, for the most loyal and best people of Jabba the Hutt had much, much more in their assets, and Kaoru understood why.
The gratitude of the head of the Cartel was worth a great deal, and he had made a significant contribution to feeling that gratitude. Though he didn't get the very best, even this would be quite enough.
A brand new corvette from some famous planet stands in the port. Kaoru had never been to space; having lived his whole life on this stinking sandy planet, he dreamed of flying among the stars, and finally, he could fulfill his long-held dream.
"How long ago that was..."
Swirling the glass of whiskey, the old man plunged into distant childhood memories, when he first met the one who became his patron.
The one who gave him everything. And even if it took his whole life, he would fulfill the dream for which he made the deal.
He lied a lot. A very great deal, always and everywhere. And his last lie was no worse or more terrible than many others.
Remembering the confident faces of the mercenaries and all that riffraff that gathered then in the cantina, Kaoru grimaced in disgust. Cursed savages and cattle, living in their own sweat and dreaming only of what to fill their bellies with. Death in battle is a better fate for them than from thirst or hunger... Or in the jaws of a beast, or from Tuskens. There are too many options to list, so they should be grateful that he gave them such a death.
Sitting down in a chair, Kaoru looked at the wall where a map of the surrounding lands hung. Much more accurate and complete, conveying the real layout of forces.
"Those fools will never understand that their little world with its problems—it's not even a puddle, but just a spit on the side of the road."
Old-man laughter, sounding more like the croaking of a raven, echoed through the mansion, scaring the young slaves.
So many years he spent fussing with this rabble, pitting settlements and miners against each other, robbing Tuskens and devastating their lands, doing everything so that this trash from that side of the planet wouldn't even think of uniting before a common threat.
Now the Tuskens will take revenge on the much weaker residents of the settlements, and all the dangerous individuals who could have caused trouble are dead. A wonderful game—ending in victory.
Suddenly the light in the estate flickered, and then the expensive glass window in his private office shattered, and some object flew inside.
The explosion of a flash-bang grenade scared all the neighbors, but besides them and the slaves from the street, no one else made a sound. For besides Kaoru, there was no one left alive in the house.
Feeling a blow to the temple, the old man was pressed face-down into the floor, after which a bag was quite roughly put over his head, and all his limbs were bound with simple ropes. Feeble attempts at struggle ended with a blow to the kidneys that instantly sobered the elderly tycoon, and for the rest of the way, he behaved quietly.
***
Pulling the bag off our former client's head, I stared into his squinting eyes, trying to see something there. Something that would allow me to restrain myself and not cut him open from nose to navel.
"Why did you do it? Why did you betray us all? What was the point of it at all?"
Wheezing with pain, Kaoru tried to see my face, but the bright light of the lamp hindered him.
"Answer, it's in your interest."
The rustle of a blade being drawn from its scabbard made the old man flinch. I had brought Einz with me for the interrogation, confident that he would restrain his rage, and so far, my friend had not let me down.
"What choice did I have?"
Exchanging glances, we dimmed the lamp slightly. The tycoon was clearly ready to talk, and it wasn't worth overdoing it; the last thing we needed was for him to drop dead from fear.
"Explain yourself."
"Heh-heh... When Jabba's people come to you... A miserable ragamuffin from the desert... You only ask how soon it needs to be done." The old man's mocking laughter hit our ears. "This is his planet, and he has long wanted to deal with those who live on the other side, and at the same time curb the Tuskens... Those damn savages. Though you're no better."
A light blow to the body was the first warning, but as I felt—not the last.
"And how long ago did they come to you? Jabba's people."
"Three years ago."
At those words, I felt pure directed rage at Kaoru. Somnia and her brothers were listening to us from the next room, and I imagined what they were feeling now.
"And all this time you helped him?"
"Of course... Better to be a henchman of the winner than a free loser." Catching his breath, the old man sat up straighter and spoke in a much more confident voice. "There was no chance of winning... And he didn't want to fight anyway. Working for Jabba will allow him to return home, so there was no choice..."
"He?"
"Heh-heh-heh," seeing how I frowned and the mighty figure of Einz stood nearby, Kaoru hurried to correct himself and hastily spoke something unexpected, "wait, wait! I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything... On one condition. Only one."
"Speak."
"Space. I want to visit it. Among the stars."
"I expected something..."
"Something more worthwhile and impossible? Heh-heh... No. There's no point in that. I'm already a corpse; either you or he will kill me."
"Who are you talking about all the time?"
"Promise me... And I'll tell you."
I didn't have to think long. Showing the old man the stars before he died—not too high a price.
"Fine. I promise."
"Excellent!"
***
We were flying away on the ship "Kaoru," a brand new CR90 Corellian Corvette. Standing on the bridge, by the viewport, I looked at the receding planet Tatooine, which had been my home for eight long years.
Its cursed yellow sands were visible even from here. And somewhere down there, the water-harvesting settlements were being conquered, and the criminal boss Jabba the Hutt was building his little Empire, investing money in the development of Tatooine and its spaceports.
"Kaoru" told us a lot. So much that at one point I had to take a break, I was so tired of listening to his dark deeds and everything he had done to achieve what he had before death.
An interesting story, full of shit and dirt.
Long ago, the young "Kaoru" was kidnapped by desert dwellers or, as the rest of the galaxy called them, Tuskens. Having been in slavery for almost six months, he was already seriously thinking about ending his life, but at that very moment, his life took the sharpest turn.
An escape pod from a starship crashed right onto the Tusken tribe, and the creature that emerged from it destroyed them all, every single one. With its bare hands.
A mighty beast, a mixture of metal and flesh, stood over the sobbing boy who was so different from the others.
It was then that the future tycoon met his master, taking his name, and for the rest of his life, he called himself by his name—Kaoru. It was he who taught him everything, showed him, trained him, and helped him assemble and build a trade network to entwine this side of the planet in his web.
Among the sands, he laid every thread, waiting for the moment when he could finally leave this planet, and three years ago, he got his wish. Jabba the Hutt claimed Tatooine for himself and began to explore the endless desert to establish his power everywhere.
Several times, the real Kaoru tried to escape the planet before that, but the first attempts were failures, and the most successful one ended with a miners' ship crashing on the planet. The proud workers blew up the ship, hoping it would kill the bloodthirsty bastard... But he survived and continued to grow in power and connections, hiding behind his local double further.
The damage during the crash was too severe, and he was forced to replace many of his body parts with much weaker analogs. In place of strong armor plates came simple homemade armor with inserts of rare technologies, and his whole body was wrapped in a cloak so as not to scare the impressionable desert farmers.
They did many dirty deeds together, but when the cyborg felt imminent freedom from the shackles of the sandy planet, he completely let go of the brakes, solving any issues radically. By this time, his power had spread everywhere. Debtors, his own bands of raiders, henchmen in settlements in positions of elders...
The result is obvious.
One week ago. The real Kaoru left the planet, leaving everything he had created here to his double and servant in one person.
Clenching my fist in anger, I looked with hatred toward the approximate point where the famous palace of Jabba was located—a place everyone had heard of except us, the savages from beyond the sands of the Dune Sea.
The fat, arrogant Hutt who simply declared this world his own.
The cyborg Kaoru. The one responsible for so much shit happening on this cursed planet. And he did it all just to fly away from here.
"I'll kill you both. Sooner or later."
Turning away from the window, I waved my hand to the droid pilot, signaling that we were ready to set off. As the shutters closed, blocking the view of the planet, a body frozen in the darkness of space drifted away from the ship.
The body of the old decoy tycoon.
***
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