[Galaxy Of Fear] - 12

CHAPTER 1


“Don’t move, or I’ll shoot the boy,” said the greasy-haired human, pointing his blaster at Zak.

Zak Arranda’s eyes widened, but the blaster-wielding human wasn’t looking at him. The killer had his eyes fixed on Zak’s uncle Hoole. He didn’t bother to look at Zak or at Zak’s sister, Tash, who stood next to him.

They stood in a dark alley in the grimy spaceport of Nar Shaddaa. The man, grinning at them through a mouthful of broken teeth, had practically melted out of the shadows the moment they turned off the main street and into the alley.

“What is the meaning of this?” Hoole demanded in a calm, cool voice. “You have no right to threaten us.”

“This gives me all the right I need,” the man said, brandishing his weapon. “That and my bounty hunter’s license. And you three have a price on your head I couldn’t resist.”

“A bounty hunter?” Tash said, surprised.

Beside her, Zak was stunned. He knew that he and his sister and their uncle Hoole were wanted by the Empire. They’d been on the run for months, ever since they’d stumbled upon a horrifying Imperial science experiment and helped to destroy it. He knew the Empire wanted to arrest them. But he’d had no idea the Imperials wanted them badly enough to put a price on their heads.

That meant not only that they were wanted by every Imperial agent in the galaxy but also that there could be dozens, maybe even hundreds, of bounty hunters tracking them as well. Any bounty hunter who captured them and turned them over to the Empire would receive a fortune in credits.

Zak saw Hoole pretend to be confused. “I do not know what you are talking about. You must be mistaken.”

“I don’t think so,” the bounty hunter laughed. He recited facts as though reading off a datapad. “Two human children. A girl named Tash Arranda, blond, about thirteen standard years. Her brother, a boy named Zak Arranda, about twelve, dark hair. Traveling in the company of a Shi’ido.”

The bounty hunter continued to glare at Hoole as he said, “Never seen a Shi’ido before. You look almost human, except for that gray skin.” The killer snarled. “But I done my homework. I know you Shi’idos can change shape. So you twitch one muscle and I’ll use the boy’s head for target practice.”

Zak looked at Uncle Hoole’s face. What the bounty hunter said was true-Hoole could change shape. But even Hoole wasn’t fast enough to stop the killer from firing his blaster. Zak saw a look of frustration pass across his uncle’s face.

Looks like we came to the wrong place, Zak thought. Again.

Nar Shaddaa was a spaceport moon orbiting the planet Nal Hutta. Buildings rose dozens of kilometers into the sky and were connected by bridges, decks, and balconies that crisscrossed like streets suspended in midair. The walkways of Nar Shaddaa were filled with grime, graffiti, and shady-looking characters. Most of them looked tough enough to scare the wrappings off a Tusken Raider.

Zak, Tash, and Uncle Hoole had flown to Nar Shaddaa in their ship, the Shroud, several days earlier. They needed to resupply the ship, and while Nar Shaddaa wasn’t the most wholesome place in the galaxy, it suited their needs. Nar Shaddaa was known for its smugglers, gangsters, and bounty hunters. The spaceport was dangerous, and although the Empire had a garrison here, the local Imperials did little to keep the streets safe.

Which was exactly why Hoole and the Arrandas had come.

Since the Imperials never bothered to patrol the streets of Nar Shaddaa, it was a safe enough stop for two humans and a Shi’ido wanted by the Empire.

Or so they’d thought.

As though he were reading Zak’s thoughts, the bounty hunter said, “I bet you figured you’d be safe from the Empire here on Nar Shaddaa. Figured maybe the Imperials wouldn’t look around this black hole of a spaceport. Well, you were wrong. There are plenty of bounty hunters that’d love to turn you in. Lucky for me, I spotted you first.”

“Whatever the bounty is,” Hoole said, “we will pay you double if you let us go.”

The bounty hunter laughed. “You ain’t got those kinds of credits. Besides, word in the space lanes is that some of the biggest bounty hunters in the galaxy are after you three. Hauling you in before any of them could send my reputation into lightspeed.”

As the bounty hunter and Hoole spoke, Zak noticed how quiet Tash was. She’d hardly said a word, and she hadn’t moved a muscle since the bounty hunter appeared. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Zak saw that his sister had focused her gaze on the bounty hunter’s blaster. A calm look had fallen across her face. For an instant-a fraction of a second-Zak felt something like a warm breeze pass through him. He knew what she was doing.