STAR WARS: The Crimson Blight

Episode 4: The search

OUTER RIM: Tingel arm

The Chiss captain asked again, the confusion plainly visible on his face, "Are you sure these new coordinates are accurate?"

Qaton shrugged his shoulders, "The coordinates was received on the right frequency."

The Bounty hunters on Okan's ship had been told to wait out on the edges of the tingle arm, until they received the coordinates on where to bring their captive Jedi Master. But now that they had received the coordinates, they pointed to somewhere in uncharted space, which was believed to be a series of dangerous asteroid belts.

"This just doesn't sit right with me," Okan said. The two main reasons why he had agreed to this mission in the first place was that the pay would come quickly and in considerable quantity, and that the burden of keeping a Jedi subdued quickly would be lifted from their shoulders and on to someone else's. The not inconsiderable part about it all being over and done with a flic of a switch, was definitely not the case.

Zugi, the female zabrak, rose and gave them a stern look of intimidation, "What are we waiting for! If that is the drop off point, I suggest we get there now!"

"I'm pretty sure, we all are tired of waiting. We could always drop out of hyperspace a few parsecs before our destination, just in case," Qaton suggested with a snie smile.

Okan looked at them all, sighed and said in a heavy tone, "If you are all sure that this info is accurate, then I will set the course now."

---

Two hours later, they re-emerged from hyperspace to find a small solar system in their front viewpoint. Okan checked the navi computer. Apparently the coordinates pointed to a small planet orbiting a red dwarf star.

"Yo captain, is there any sign of life out here?" Qaton asked curiously, as he entered the cockpit.

"I've located where we are supposed to go. Wake the others, we are landing shortly," Okan replied, and pulled the lever to accelerate his spacecraft.

A few minutes later the ship landed on the mountainous world, illuminated by the dwarf star, which bathed the planet in an ominous red glow. The surface seemed mostly barren, except for a few curled up tree-like plants.

As soon as Okan stepped foot on the planet, he felt a cold feeling rise up in him, simultaneously one of his mental protection implants began to get rather hot, showing signs of a stressful workload, "This planet is sick... I won't stay here longer than absolutely necessary."

He shared a glance with Zugi, she nodded in return to signal that she noticed the abnormality too.

Two human women in uniforms of the typical Tenkan colors of green and orange approached them, "Bring the Jedi, our client is waiting," they commanded in unison.

"One Jedi coming up," Qaton replied in an enthusiastically loud voice, as Helgu came down the ramp pushing a hover lifter, carried the incapacitated Kel'dorian jedi master, in front of him. Qaton himself carried the black artifact that kept the Jedi in check.

Zak looked carefully around at the red mountains surrounding the landing area as he followed the group onto the planet.

Zugi too began to feel a chill, not only did the two women speak like they were in a trance of a sort, but Qaton's voice seemed unusually faint in her mind.

Zak spotted something that looked something like a mutated mynoc, "...Wha-at.... is... tha-at!" he shuttered.

"Something that will devour your flesh!" Helgu made a wide grin as he deliberately tried to scare the twi'lek for his own amusement.