The Traveler surged upward, its running lights flashing as it quickly ascended into the sky.
Although they had destroyed the pirates' two fighters, those were just short-range craft used for emergencies—not their entire fleet. Their other vessels, including their flagship, were likely still parked nearby.
However, by the time the pirates reached the launch site, Amir was already gone.
"Hahahaha, that was brilliant!" Charles stumbled into the cockpit and secured himself in the co-pilot's seat.
"Did we get the cargo?" Amir asked at the right moment.
"Of course, and it's twice as much as we expected! We're rich now!"
"Excellent. Now you can tell me about the ruins."
"Of course, of course. Let's head to the ruins first. I'll show you my discovery myself."
Finally, the Traveler burst out of the fissure. However, it didn't fly straight in the original direction; instead, it flew erratically to throw off any potential tracking.
"Don't worry about those pirates. I took care of their leader, so they're probably in chaos right now." Charles smiled as he watched Amir's evasive flight path. "Haha, that was a successful infiltration."
Seeing that no one was chasing them, Amir adjusted the course and flew directly toward the snow-capped mountain.
"While searching for spice in the fissure, I spotted a platform that looked like it had been cut out of the ice wall artificially. It was at a depth of several dozen meters, large enough to land a ship. At first, I thought it was a smuggler's camp built for spice processing. That's why I thought there might be a good source of spice there as well."
Charles gestured vaguely. "But I was wrong. Aside from the dragon slugs, there was nothing else around. The interior of the platform, however, had a cave whose entrance was blocked by thick ice. I couldn't break through, so I left it for later, planning to return with tools to investigate. It now seems highly likely that this is connected to the ruins."
Amir didn't think he was lying, so he piloted the Traveler toward the coordinates Charles had indicated.
They entered the fissure again but didn't go too deep this time, only gliding slowly at a shallow depth of several dozen meters where they could still see faint light filtering down from above.
After searching the area for a while, Amir discovered the platform carved into the ice wall beside him.
"Yes, this is the place!" Charles shouted.
"It does look like a camp," Amir replied.
The depression was clearly man-made, with flattened sides, sufficient height, and ample width. If there were ice huts inside, it could easily serve as a forward base.
However, it looked like no one had been there for a long time. Large icicles protruded from the ceiling, making the area look pitted and uneven.
"Just park over there. I've been up there before. It's safe," Charles commanded.
Without hesitation, Amir slowly set the Traveler down on the platform.
"You'd better have something to break the ice, and not just at the entrance. The inside is blocked, too."
Charles unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the cockpit. Amir followed closely behind.
BD-4 also emerged from the ship, with a small spider droid discreetly attached to its head.
"Stay here, BD-4. I'll be back shortly."
Amir made his way to the cargo hold and retrieved a high-frequency vibro-cutter. The tool resembled a spear; when activated, its tip emitted high-frequency vibrations that could easily separate molecular bonds in hard objects.
It was highly effective as a tool, but it could also serve as a weapon. The vibrations and sharp tip could effortlessly slice through most armor and pierce an enemy's body without resistance.
Amir used it solely as a tool, however. He liked the vibro-cutter because it could produce perfect ice shavings—something that added a rare source of enjoyment to his life on the scorching sands of Tatooine.
Shouldering a backpack equipped with a signal jammer, Amir stepped off the ramp.
After looking around, he found the place odd indeed. Aside from the precise cuts in the ice, there were no signs of mechanical devices, human presence, ice huts, or other structures capable of housing living beings.
"Over there—can you see the opening?" Charles pointed to a recessed area in the corner.
Following his gaze, Amir saw a clear tunnel that seemed to lead deep into the interior, though the surface was completely sealed by a wall of ice.
Amir slowly approached, raising the cutter to start chiseling. Just then, however, Charles's voice came from behind him.
"Amir, thank you so much for helping me. And thank you for the ice-chipping tool."
When Amir turned around, he saw the muzzle of a blaster pistol pointed directly at his forehead.
"Don't be impulsive, Charles. What do you want?" Amir held the vibro-cutter steady and looked at the man.
"Haha, what do I want?" Charles slowly walked toward Amir. "I just want to live comfortably. Thank you for giving me this opportunity, the spice, and your spaceship. Thank you for everything."
"You're a good man, Amir."
As Charles finished speaking, Amir saw his finger muscles tense up. He was about to pull the trigger.
But Amir smiled.
On the smooth platform, BD-4 peered around from a distance. Nearby, the spider droid had already skittered up Charles's pant leg without him noticing.
Beep beep beep!
BD-4 issued the command. Instantly, the spider droid released a web of high-voltage electricity that enveloped Charles's body.
Stimulated by the shock, Charles's muscles convulsed uncontrollably. The spasm caused the trajectory of his blaster shot to deviate drastically, the red bolt slamming harmlessly into the ice beside Amir.
A second later, the current ceased, and Charles fell stiffly onto the ice, his body still twitching.
"Ah, ah... Amir... when did you..." Charles turned toward Amir, trembling as he demanded an answer. He realized that Amir had been preparing to counterattack him all along, but he couldn't figure out how he had been exposed.
"I heard everything you said to your captain," Amir said, pulling his own blaster pistol from his waistband and slowly approaching.
Amir had never trusted this man. When Charles suggested infiltrating alone to steal the spice, Amir had deployed the spider droid to eavesdrop. To ensure the signal remained clear, he had used the hardwired cable system.
Later, on the ship, he transferred command of the spider droid to BD-4. With the jammer in his backpack blocking other frequencies, BD-4 had a clear channel to take over the droid and launch a surprise attack.
Sure enough, after securing the spice, Charles couldn't resist the greed.
When someone achieves a goal, they feel anticipation, and they become desperate to secure it. Charles believed that once Amir saw the platform and the cave, he would trust the story completely and lower his guard. The urgency of the mystery would make Amir reveal a weakness.
Just as Amir raised the vibro-cutter to break the ice, Charles believed the time was right.
He planned to kill Amir, seize control of the ship, and escape with the fortune in spice. Even if he couldn't breach the ruins, he had enough wealth to disappear.
When he raised the gun, everything seemed perfect.
Unfortunately, Amir ended it all.
"Hahaha..." Charles let out a hysterical, broken laugh. "Spare me! Spare me! Consider it a favor for helping you out!"
At that moment, Amir's hand holding the gun hesitated.
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