Star Wars: Dark Inheritance

Chapter 5 - Target Acquired

LEXANDER ZUC

"Target Acquired." Lex whispered into his comlink. He crouched within the shadows of a wide terrace atop a large industrial factory. The winds blew angrily as he maintained his precarious balance. He glanced up at the dark green storm clouds of Nal Hutta. One of the larger clouds loomed several miles away, a wide sheet of acid rain pouring heavily.

Lex took a deep breath. From up here, the air was so much fresher than at ground level. It actually smelled like air and not the common scent of rancid garbage. The cool breeze pressing against his skin made him feel at peace. Almost. The loud roar of engines snapped him out of it. He had to stay focused. There was no place for peace on this planet, and Domeli had to do a lot of bribing in order to get the location of the Hutt's gold reserves.

Lex peered over the edge of the terrace. A Bantha-II cargo skiff landed gently on the loading platform below, the repulsorlift engine humming as it shut down. The skiff was a deep brown, dried mud and dirt enveloping the entirety of the hull. A blue-skinned Twi'lek in luxurious green robes jumped off of the machine, landing nimbly. Lex noticed that this male Twi'lek had more balance and grace then normal as well as no chains around his neck or feet. It was quite unusual for a Twi'lek on Nal Hutta to be free from slavery, but it did occur on occasion.

Most likely he was trained in the art of combat or given a high position in the Hutt's ranks. Lex could tell that this Twi'lek was potentially dangerous. He inched closer to the ledge to get a better look. Eight Rodians in silver armor stepped off of the skiff one by one. Lex's mind flashed back to the ambush at Domeli's house. Those Rodians wore the same exact armor.

Lex smiled to himself. He was going to enjoy cutting them down. But first, he had to complete the mission: Steal the gold ingots at all costs without alerting the Grand Hutt Council. The Twi'lek shouted some orders before the Rodians ran inside of the building. He stood by the skiff patiently with his hands clasped behind his back.

The Rodians began filing out of the building about fifteen minutes later. They had a medical capsule floating behind them. Lex's eyes widened as he saw the med capsule's cargo. A transparent box sat in the center. It glowed a deep gold, hundreds of gold ingots stacked neatly within.

Lex steadied himself once more as he tied a long rope around his waist. He secured the other end of the cord to the base of the terrace. Adrenaline began pumping through his veins. The blood rushing in his ears drowned everything else out. He only had one shot at this. Only one.

Fortunately, Domeli gave him a few new gadgets for this particular job. Lex reached into his cloak, grabbing a cylindrical metal canister. He pulled the small pin on its side and tossed it over the ledge. He closed his eyes just in time. Bang! Shouts of agony could be heard as the flash grenade went off.

Even while wearing a helmet and his eyes closed, Lex could still see the grenade's bright white light. He could only imagine how the others below felt. He quickly disregarded the thought, for they were about to feel even worse. His eyes shot open as he leaped off of the terrace. The rope around his waist tightened and swung him towards the skiff at an increasing speed.

At the apex of his swing, Lex cut the rope. He shot into the air with both his vibroblade and vibrosword drawn. He flipped twice before landing directly on top of one of the Rodians holding the medical capsule. Lex landed with a sick crunch, the Rodian's back snapping in half. It's body stirred once before going still.

Purple blood began spraying everywhere as Lex made short work of the two nearest Rodians. He slit their throats before kicking the med capsule off of the skiff, causing it to float several meters away. The two mercenaries gasped and clutched at their throats to no avail. They dropped to their knees as blood spewed through their fingers. The remaining five Rodians were still in disarray below the skiff, trying to find their bearings.