Nico's Gambit

Ord Mantell

"Get up, old man," Odette said as she tried to push Nico off the lounger.

"Girl, it's indecent to expect a man to be moving around at this hour," he grumbled as he rolled to the side rather than getting up off the couch.

"We're almost to Ord Mantell."

"Why the blazes are we going there?"

She rolled her eyes as she tried once again to haul him off the couch. "Because we've been hired to bring in that shipment of weapons. Remember? To Skavak? Because he's paying a huge amount of credits if we're on time or early?"

Nico grunted. Credits he understood even if his hangover was still raging. "It's a simple transaction, darling. You show up with the weapons, you bat your eyelashes at him a little, he gives you more credits than he negotiated because he's overwhelmed by your beauty.  He hauls the load off the dock, and then we jet for somewhere with better cantinas."

"I would have thought he'd be more impressed with the Great Nico Okar," Odette said putting her fists on her hips.

"That name doesn't hold much weight anymore," he said. "Its why I send you."

"Fine." She said. "Guess I'll go get Shoot-to-Kill on." She rounded on him and pointed a finger at him. "I've hidden the booze. No libation for you until this planet is a spec behind our thrusters." She walked away ignoring the general curses and grumbling she anticipated.

She straightened her cropped jacket a little. This was her knock-em-dead outfit, just enough skin to be distracting, but covering enough to mean business. She walked down her plank and was greeted by an older man with a tattooed face. She might have considered him handsome except for the lecherous smirk. These space jockeys were all the same.

"This place's a warzone. That was a fair bit of flying through that mess." He said. "The name's Skavak."

"I hate this planet already," she said, looking around. "The weapons are in the cargo hold. Let's settle up so I can get off this rock."

He nodded. "Here's your payment." He was handing her the stack of credits when two large explosions ripped through the skies above the spaceport. "Damn." He whipped out a datapad and furiously scanned his fingers across the surface. "Damn! The separatists have managed to gain control of the air defense cannons near Fort Garnik."

"So?" Odette said.

"So, unless you want to be shot out of the sky in a spectacular way, you're grounded. And I don't have a way to get these guns to my buyer." He turned around. "Corso! When did this shipment have to be in by?"

A dreadlocked head popped up from behind some engine parts. A young man about Odette's age stood up and loped over to where they stood. "By this afternoon, boss."

Odette could all but hear Skavak's teeth grinding. "Well, that's a little inconvenient. Corso, this is Captain Odette Lise."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Corso said cordially. Despite her annoyance, Odette found herself needing to smother a smile. A polite boy fresh off the farm from the look of him. But it wasn't just that. It was his smile and the look in his eyes. The smile was genuine as if he were truly pleased to meet her as a person, and while they sparkled a little, there was none of that look of him secretly undressing her with his eyes. She nodded but looked back at Skavak.

"I'm assuming you're coming up with a brilliant plan to solve both our problems?" she said.

"You know, boss, they have those remote control stations spread around town. I bet if we take out some of them, they'll lose control of the cannons long enough to allow the Captain here to get into space and for you to get to your meeting."