I was on the bridge, coiled around my pillar as I lazily played a game against the computer. We orbited Saquita, a poor mining world we delivered a cargo of equipment to.
We were scheduled to move a cargo of refined metal to Dantoonie of all the places in two days...which meant everyone had two days off, even if it was on board. That place imported a surprising amount of metal, but than again... it wasn't that much on a planetary scale.
During this kind of time we mostly just kept a watch on the bridge, the rest of the crew free to do what they wished. Not so different from when we were in hyperspace, just less maintenance.
I tilted my head at the latest move of the computer. I am not entirely sure what it was doing, pulling it's forces back towards a dense asteroid field. Anyone could see clearly that it was a ambush spot where it could have hidden the rest of its forces.
Ordering my two cruisers and frigates to return to cover the planet while I sent a single starfighter to check it out just to confirm the rest of his forces really were there. That move was a bit too obvious, it might be a trick of some sort.
The computer is usually not this braindead when it come to tactics.
My pillar beeped at me and I blinked as it received a holographic message. I left it for a moment, raising my headfeathers happily as my starfighter do indeed locate the rest of the enemy forces before being destroyed. I should pick up a new game next time we are back in civilization, this one is getting predictable.
Maybe...wonder what it would take to get my hands on military level tactics simulation software? Unless it cost more than I can justify to myself for entertainment, it would be interesting to try.
I put the game on pause and checked on the holo message.
A hologram of a human wearing expensive but not extravagant clothing appeared in front of my pillar. He had short grey hair and a scar vertically across his right eye, the eye itself had been replaced by a droid optical sensor, something you only really see on people that can't afford the real looking thing. A strange contrast to his clothing.
"If you are hearing this, one of my agents have finally been able to locate you to transmit this message to you, Captain Atreus." he started, his arms held calmly behind his back "While I will not tell you my name, you might call me Krayt. I am the leader of the Glass Hand."
I blinked and tilted my head. I did not expect a message. A bounty hunter or a terrorist attack maybe, but not a message. I simply watched as the message continued to play.
"Now, I expect you have heard of my group from my former employees by now, so you know in what kind of business I am in. It so happens that you owe me some money from that incident, you broke it, you buy it and all that.
Now, I don't hold any sort of grudge against you, you were simply protecting your property and people. It was simply business. That doesn't mean that you don't owe me 3,2 million republic credits however." He said before he smiled and spread his arms.
"You know what, let's call it three million even. I'm sure I can extract the rest from the idiots that thought operating that way was a good idea. Now, I do not have any ill feelings towards you, Captain, but I want my money.
There is no reason for any unpleasantness to occur as long as I get my money back.
You have two months from getting this message to get to Tattooine and pay your debt."
The message closed down as I looked at the spot the hologram was in for a moment before I retransmitted the information to the Jedi Temple. They were hunting him and it might give them some clues.
Ruffling my feathers I thought it through.
I could afford to pay...but I do not know if that would solve anything. While he did seem reasonable, he was organized crime and somebody who scared a hutt like Galuga.
Galuga might not be at the level of somebody like Jabba will be, he was not tiny. Somebody like that is not easy to scare.
On the other hand...that was as much a reason to pay him as not to pay him. Getting somebody like that angry at you does not do good things for your life expectancy.
In the end, I am only a freighter captain.
I slowly clicked my claw against the stone of the pillar, tightening my hold slightly. Getting involved into this kind of thing was never a good thing.
Then again...Now I know where people from that organization will be at a specific time. They kind of have to be to bring the credits back.
Which mean if they could be tracked or made to talk, either me or somebody else could start to track the entire organization down.
Maybe. Unless they were organized into cells.
I growled slightly and shifted my wings in annoyance. This was not something I needed right now...the Thail have already snatched two loads of cargo beneath my beak this month. That was annoying enough without getting a crimeboss onto my tailfeathers.
Not to mention dangerous to my flock.
Finally I flicked my game back on and unpaused it. Nothing I can do about it right now, but as soon as this next cargo is delivered we head back to Coruscuant.
If we are to go after this group... I can't do it on my own, even with my crew backing me up.
I think it might be time for Yoda to repay me for that damn Sith base.