"Can't break free! We're completely caught in the tractor beam."
Seeing that escape was impossible, Amir surrendered to the pull. He piloted the ship through the shimmering atmospheric containment field, allowing it to land smoothly on the hangar deck.
"Let's go, BD-4. Let's see what they want."
Since this base, built inside a hollowed-out asteroid, hadn't attacked him directly to destroy the ship, it meant there was still room for negotiation.
Preparing his gear, Amir walked to the ship's exit ramp.
The Traveler sat motionless in the center of the landing pad. All surrounding heavy laser turrets were locked onto it, and an unknown number of armed enemies were closing in.
Not feeling particularly nervous, Amir adjusted his belt. He placed his lightsaber on one side, in a position easy to draw but not immediately obvious, and holstered his blaster pistol on the other. He also double-checked the homemade explosives in his bag.
With all preparations complete, Amir opened the hatch and walked down.
"Hello, my friend!" A loud, theatrical voice boomed from in front of Amir.
Looking in the direction of the voice, Amir saw a Weequay, surrounded by a motley crew of pirates, striding over.
The Weequay had the leathery, weather-beaten skin characteristic of his species. He wore a shell-like dome helmet, old flight goggles, and had two braids trailing behind his head.
"Why have you intercepted me?" Amir adopted a wary stance.
"You must be joking, my friend! You and your accomplice just killed my new captain. How can we not settle this score?"
Amir noticed that as the Weequay spoke, he was constantly winking and nodding at him, his facial expressions exaggerated.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding. We can talk," Amir said, playing for time.
He had already released his spider droid. As soon as it finished its reconnaissance and returned to his left wristguard, he would know the surrounding defensive layout. Although the lack of wireless transmission made things much more troublesome, the spider droid was still a great asset.
"I think you'd better fix your attitude! You can't escape suspicion just yet. Where is your accomplice? Tell him to come out!" the Weequay suddenly shouted, throwing his hands up dramatically.
"This acting..." Amir watched the performance helplessly.
"He wasn't my accomplice. I've already killed him."
"Oh, is that so? Then we really... should talk. Including the matter of that shipment of cargo!" the Weequay said, his face suddenly turning serious.
"Of course. My name is Amir."
"Haha! I am Hondo Ohnaka. This ship's, uh, acting captain."
After speaking, he looked at the dozen or so pirates around him and shouted, "Lower your guns! This man may not be an enemy. We'll talk inside."
The surrounding pirates hesitated, exchanging glances, but eventually lowered their weapons.
Amir walked forward to fall in step beside Hondo. BD-4 clung to Amir's back.
"It really was that kid Charles! When our respected captain said he betrayed us, I didn't quite believe it. What a pity!" Hondo shook his head theatrically.
Amir decided to feed Hondo part of the truth.
"He not only deceived the captain, but he also deceived you. We are truly in the same boat!"
"It's a shame. I've only been here a few months, and already I've lost my captain. I have so many brothers to feed, I really don't know what to do. So, about that spice...?"
Amir decided to offer the spice immediately to placate them.
"Of course, the spice is on my ship. It's your property. You can take it at any time."
Hearing this, the surrounding pirates visibly relaxed. The tension in the hangar evaporated.
Hondo, however, draped his arm heavily over Amir's shoulder and laughed.
"If I have your word on the spice, then there's no hurry! I love doing business with people like you. Straightforward and honorable!"
"Sit! You are a guest. Today, we must treat you well!"
Hondo led Amir into the main hall inside their base. A feast was already being prepared.
"This was meant to welcome the captain back, but fate is unpredictable..." Hondo plopped down at the central table and motioned for Amir to sit next to him.
This wasn't some formal, rule-bound banquet. The pirates had already started entertaining themselves, drinking and shouting. It was clear the captain's death wasn't some great tragedy for them. As long as the spice was secured, the change in leadership might even be viewed as a good thing.
Hondo picked up the drink in front of him and took a slow sip. "This Muja fruit ale is a rare strong spirit. My captain loved this stuff!"
This table was clearly prepared for their late leader.
Amir accepted a fruit platter from a protocol droid and took a bite.
"Your ship looks pretty good. I've seen another YT-series ship, also excellent. Its owner was very... interesting, hehe," Hondo said, musing to himself.
As he spoke, Amir suddenly noticed Hondo's fingers tapping the table rhythmically.
Is this... a code?
Amir tried to decipher it using the basic smuggling ciphers he had learned. Sure enough, the rhythmic taps formed scattered words.
... 27 pirates ... deal with Rodian ... I ... storage ... steal ... your ship ... escape ...
Amir gave him a startled look.
Hondo saw Amir's gaze and nodded with a slight, conspiratorial smile.
"Oh! I suddenly need to relieve myself. Apologies, guest. Please wait for me a moment. You can also look around freely!"
Hondo suddenly stood up and walked toward the interior of the base.
Amir glanced around and fell into thought.
This Hondo was clearly an old fox. Based on their conversation on the way here, Amir could tell he was a schemer. The secret message just now confirmed Amir's suspicions.
As for whether to cooperate with him, Amir had no choice. Although these pirates had relaxed their guard, they were still watching him. Once he handed over the spice, whether he lived or died would be entirely up to their whim. Besides, now that he knew about their hidden base, they had even more reason to silence him.
The pirates didn't fully trust Hondo either. For example, the Rodian who had been following right behind Hondo had large, faceted eyes that were full of insubordination.
Considering the available intelligence, if he wanted to get out of here safely, he might as well trust Hondo this once.
Just then, seeing Hondo leave, the Rodian walked up to Amir, his hand resting on his blaster.
He swiped his hand across the edge of the table and sat in Hondo's seat—their former captain's seat.
"It seems you all really like sitting in this spot," Amir said.
This deliberate provocation was calculated to make the Rodian think he and Hondo weren't on good terms, dispelling any suspicion that Amir was conspiring with the Weequay.
"Be careful, outsider. Hondo can't necessarily protect you," the Rodian sneered.
Amir ate his food as if he hadn't heard, but inwardly he was wondering why Hondo wanted him to "deal with" this Rodian, and when he should make his move.
If he acted now, he would definitely be swarmed by everyone in the room. So, he could only wait for a signal.
A signal that would come from Hondo.
And the reason for dealing with this Rodian must be that this "big-eyes" posed the greatest threat to whatever Hondo was planning.
With this in mind, Amir waited patiently.
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