Star Wars: Dark Inheritance

Chapter 1 - The Contract

7 YEARS LATER- YEAR 967 BBY

LEXANDER ZUC

Lexander Zuc's stomach grumbled loudly as he walked through the city known as Bilbousa. It was the capital city of the planet Nal Hutta. This particular district he was passing through was known as the Bilbousa Bazaar, the primary and largest marketplace in the capital. The gloomy sky glowed a bright green, a constant reminder of the planet's extreme level of pollution. An acid rain storm loomed several miles away, the dark green clouds rumbling in the distance.

Lex wrinkled his nose as he neared the center of the marketplace. There was always a sulfuric smell in the air. It always seemed to get stronger in the midst of crowds. The entire planet teemed with a plethora of illegal beings from all over the galaxy. There was no law here, only the rule of the Grand Hutt Council.

He stopped several feet away from an abandoned shop and examined it. Numerous people were plastered on the wall with different rewards for their capture written below each respective poster. The Hutt government had turned the shop into a bounty poster-board. His eyes stopped on an old photo near the top of the board. It was a picture of himself. The poster showed his brown, six-year-old face with the caption: "Wanted alive for questioning. He is the primary suspect in the murder case of a Hutt Clan member. Considered armed and dangerous." Lex shook his head with disgust.

It was his mother who was killed that tragic day. She was taken from him by one of those disgusting Hutts. But instead of justice, he was hunted by the Hutt Clan for the last seven years. Due to this, he took small bounty jobs or stole to survive meal to meal. But he had to always be careful. He did not want the bounty brokers to notice who he was and turn him in for a reward.

Because of the high level of confidentiality, he would rather do assassination and mercenary jobs. But such jobs were given to those who made a name for themselves, not an optimistic 13-year-old bounty hunter. Even so, he took one extreme precaution. Ever since the day his mother died, Lexander donned a solid red mask to protect his identity. Throughout the underworld of Nal Hutta he became known as the 'Blood Mask', an above average bounty hunter.

Even with the mask on he hid his face under a hooded black cloak as he traversed through the throng of shoppers. He could trust only himself. His stomach grumbled again, aching for a warm meal. Moving swiftly, he walked by a kiosk selling all manners of seafood. Lex took a quick look around to see if he was being watched.

Even though he was short, he was also slim and athletic. His brown skin, wooly black and red hair, and brown eyes would definitely be normal amongst this crowd. But the mask had to stay on. He was able to maneuver through the crowd with relative ease. He made himself blend in, a mere shadow among a multitude of criminals. A pair of Twi'lek slaves and their human master stopped by the kiosk and began purchasing food. Lex discreetly pushed the master into the Twi'leks, causing them to bump into the cart and knock off several morsels. The shop owner and the master began shouting at the slaves and waving their fists wildly. In the confusion, Lex disappeared with hands full of food as well as the master's bulging coin purse.

He made his way into a dark alleyway between the buildings, glancing every so often to make sure he was not followed. He stashed the raw food in his cloak to cook later and counted the contents of the coin purse. Lex cursed under his breath. Only a few hundred credits. It was only worth a couple of weeks.

He needed to complete another bounty job and get paid as fast as possible. Stealing sub-par food and pickpocketing in Bilbousa was not worth the risk. It could not be sustained forever. "Your stomach is louder than a Wookiee in labor" said a gruff voice from behind. Lex whirled around to lay his eyes on a large, cloaked figure.