Sunset checks the map on her wrist and takes the lead. The two of you weave through small crowds and cut through a marketplace before reaching the large opening at the edge of the city that leads to the Dune Sea. The rest of the Tatooine landscape looks unbelievably desolate compared to the city. You'll never get used to it.
Sunset points to the horizon. "Diamond Tiara's palace is out there."
You follow her gaze and spot a small cluster of hills and mountains a few miles away from the city. Hutts really like to be isolated and out of the way of everyone else in their massive fortresses, for some reason. It's such a pain.
On your right, you see a few speeders and swoop bikes parked near the edge of the city under some large open canopies. It gives you an idea. No way is walking to this Hutt's palace an option with your timetable. You need to get there as fast as you can.
"Feel like going shopping?" You ask Sunset as you head over to the store.
"Not a bad idea." She replies as she follows you.
As you approach, the Toydarian store owner spots you and starts flapping his wings. He flies over to you. "Welcome. How can I help you?" He greets you in Huttsese, which you can understand a little bit of, but cannot speak.
You reply in Basic. "I need a speeder. A fast one. Do you do rentals?"
The Toydarian grunts and crosses his arms. In Basic, he replies, "Not anymore, I'm afraid. People would rent them and never come back again. It was bad for business. If you want it, you gotta buy it."
Damn. Makes sense though.
"Fine." You reply. "Point me to a fast one."
The Toydarian smiles. "Of course! Follow me!"
He chuckles and you both follow him toward the group of speeders in his shop. You enter the makeshift garage beneath the canopies and take a look around. A few pit droids are busy working on a couple of them, while others are carrying parts to and from the back. Most of the speeders in here look used. They have a few nicks or scratches, but the majority of them seem to be in decent condition.
The Toydarian stops at one and turns around. "Here. A Zephyr-G swoop. This one is the fastest one I got, and it's brand-new."
It's a good sized speeder bike that's got side pouches for storage and barely enough room for two people. It looks like it was built with speed in mind, because it doesn't look very tough. The panel by the handle bars is equipped with a small map, clock, and various other standard gauges that indicate the status of various functions on the bike.
You bend down and do a quick visual inspection at the engine. "You said its brand-new?"
The Toydarian grunts proudly. "Top of the line. I just got it delivered yesterday. It's yours for 6000."
You think for a moment. If you had more time on your hands, you'd haggle a little bit and try to talk that price down. Six seems a bit steep, especially since Trixie is only worth five, but in all honesty, you're mostly after information on Adagio's gem. Going after Trixie after dealing with the Sith is just for the love of the game, at this point. Besides, you and Sunset could use a speeder bike in the future.
You make up your mind and stand up, turning to him. "I'll take it."
"Excellent!" He says with a smile.
He takes your credits and he gives you the keys, thanking you for your purchase. You hop on with Sunset behind you and start it up. The engine whirs to life and you maneuver it out from under the canopy and beneath the suns. Once you're outside, you slowly drive to the entrance to the city until you reach the edge of the Dune Sea.
You grip the handles tight. "Let's see what she can do."
Sunset grabs onto your waist and you rev the engine. The speeder bike screeches and takes off at high speed in a matter of seconds, leaving a trail of sand and dust behind as you make your way towards the mountains on the outskirts.
The bike is sturdy and it handles very well. You have absolutely no trouble adjusting your direction as you move across the desert. Once you've got a good feel for it, you take a quick glance behind you. Past the thin layer of dust that's been brought up from your bike, you barely make out Mos Espa as it continues diminishing behind you.
You look ahead again and steer the bike in the right direction before opening your comms. "Okay, Sunset. Mark the location on my map for me, please."
Pressing a button on your gauntlet, you bring up your map on your HUD. As your little arrow moves forward along the open terrain, a yellow blip appears a few kilometers in front of you. You continue driving forward, maneuvering over sand dunes and around rocks. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice a herd of Banthas migrating across the desert. After a few minutes of driving over the hot sand, you come to the mouth of a canyon and slow the bike down a little.
Sunset starts talking over your comms. "Anon, it doesn't look like there's a trail big enough for us to get our bike up to the entrance of the palace from here. The base of this canyon is way too narrow."
You quickly glance at your map and get a general idea of the palace's location. "We'll park as close as we can, and hoof it to the entrance then."
You continue down the canyon for a few minutes. On either side of you, the mountains get larger and closer as you continue forward until you reach a fork. Turning right, you keep driving for a few more minutes until you eventually run out of space and come to a dead end. You slow the speeder bike down and kill the engine.
You take a deep breath and rub a hand across your visor, clearing off the thin layer of sand that had accumulated. "Not a bad bike. I like it."
You and Sunset both dismount and you check the map again on your HUD. Diamond Tiara's palace is about half a kilometer to your left. That's south. There's a narrow gap between a few rocks in the mountain that leads up to it. There's no way the speeder would have made it up there.
You shut the map off and take a look around. You're at the edge of a desolate box canyon covered with rocks and sand. Apart from a slight howl of the wind above the tip of the rocks, it's completely silent. A few ships are entering or leaving the atmosphere in Mos Espa's direction. You also notice that the sky has just barely started to turn orange. The suns are beginning to set.
"We need to be fast." You say. "I don't want to be out here when night falls."
Sunset shakes her head. "I don't either."
You squeeze your blaster handles at your sides once before heading toward the canyon trail with her. It's a bit cramped between the rocks, but you can walk through them with ease. The two of you stay alert and silent the whole time.
After a few minutes of walking and the occasional climb, you reach a small clearing on the cliffside. On the other side of the clearing, you see where the trail continues through an opening in the rocks. Right behind this wall of rocks, you spot one of the spires on Diamond Tiara's palace.
Just when you start walking toward the opening, a blaster bolt whizzes past you and impacts the ground to your left. You and Sunset immediately whip around and take out your weapons. There's nothing behind you. Nothing you can see, anyway.
Then, another blaster bolt from the opposite canyon wall catches your attention. You quickly step to the side as it also impacts the ground. What follows is the sound of the distant battle cry that every Tatooine native is familiar with.
"Sand People." You growl. Luckily, they aren't the best shots, but you don't want to take any chances. You'd rather not deal with them right now.
Sunset holsters her weapons and quickly heads to the opposite side of the clearing towards the palace. You jog after her, keeping a watchful eye at the canyon wall behind you. Another bolt blasts the rock to your right as you both head between the rocks. Once you're through, you both turn a corner and hide from the sniper's line of sight. The same distant cry echoes across the wilderness as he realizes he can no longer see you.
The Sand People are easy enough to deal with from far away, but they can prove to be a surprising challenge up close. Especially if there's more than one of them. With night quickly approaching, you don't think that's the last you'll see of them today. You holster your blasters and continue up the trail with Sunset. After a couple of minutes, you reach another clearing and get your first good look at Diamond Tiara's enormous palace.
Two spires tower above the palace on either side, practically overlooking the entire planet. It's been built so that it's boxed into the mountain with only one direction to look out of. Not a bad idea, from a strategic standpoint. It's very well-hidden, and if anyone wanted to launch a big attack against the Hutt, they would have a hard time keeping the element of surprise. There's only one direction they can be attacked from.
"Who needs something this big?" Sunset asks.
"The Hutts." You reply. "Hutts are big, remember?"
"Oh, right." Sunset giggles a little before walking with you toward the large open door at the base of the palace.
When you reach it, you are met by a team of Gamorrean guards, armed with their large battle axes. They start grunting and snorting at you both in some pig language you can't understand. No doubt that they're asking why you're here.
You step forward. "We're here to see your master about her posted bounty: Trixie."
The leader turns to the rest and grunts a few times. They snort and squeal back and at each other for a moment before turning back to you. He grunts and beckons you to follow.
He leads you both inside, and you walk next to each other in silence. The air inside the palace is smokey, and you hear the faint sound of music playing. From the corner of your eye, you see a few rooms filled with dancers, bands, and people of all kinds partying or celebrating. Nearly each occupied room has a pair of guards in front of it, Gamorrean or otherwise.
You continue down the main hallway behind the Gamorrean. He turns left and leads you to a silver protocol droid, who approaches you from another room.
"Greetings, bounty hunters." The droid says. "I am Silver Spoon and I bid you welcome to the illustrious Diamond Tiara's palace."
You and Sunset both nod at the droid and come to a stop. Strange that Diamond Tiara has given this droid an actual name instead of just a number. It must be special.
"We'd like to inquire from your master about a bounty she's posted: Trixie." You say.
"Ah, yes." The droid nods at you. "Trixie was one of our smugglers responsible for delivering spices. After some time, her shipments became lighter and less frequent, so the wise Diamond Tiara sent spies after her and discovered that she had been selling and trading the spices to others for her own personal gain. A sum of 5,000 Republic credits will be paid to her captors upon her delivery."
You nod as you listen to the droid recount the tale. "Where did you last send her?"
Silver Spoon pauses. "Her last assignment was to deliver a large shipment of chak-root from Naboo. We received a message from her a short time later, foolishly informing us that she is no longer a smuggler for the noble Diamond Tiara and that she refused to pay what she owed. She referred to herself in third person as 'The Great and Powerful Trixie'."
Sunset scoffs beside you.
You inquire further. "Anything else you could tell us about her?"
"The generous Diamond Tiara has also offered a sum of 1,000 Republic credits for the capture and delivery of any accomplices Trixie has done business with." Silver Spoon replies. "However, this deal is only valid if they are brought in alongside her."
You nod at the droid again. "I appreciate the info, droid. We'll be back later with her."
Silver Spoon nods again. "Best of luck to you both, bounty hunters."
You and Sunset turn around and make your way back to the entrance of the palace. The same Gamorrean guard who led you inside accompanies you once again. Once you're back outside, you notice that the sky had become a darker shade of orange as one of the suns had begun to set behind the horizon.
"Let's hurry back." You say. "It'll get cold real quick once night falls."
Sunset nods and you both break out into a jog as you head toward the trail you had come from. The two of you enter the crevice between the rocks and move down the path toward your bike.
Arming yourself, you hide behind a large boulder and carefully peek around it, using your HUD to zoom in and scan the opposite side of the canyon for one of the Sand People with the sniper rifle. The same one who was shooting at you before. It takes a few moments, but you finally spot him. He's just sitting there, with his rifle in his hands pointed toward you. There's another one to his right armed only with a gaffi stick. From his position, he could easily spot your speeder bike on the canyon floor below. He isn't shooting at you though, which means he hasn't seen you yet. It would behoove you to fix this problem ahead of time.
You lock onto his position and arm the missile on your back. Quickly stepping out into the open, you launch your missile and spray a barrage of blaster fire at the canyon wall in an attempt to scare them. The missile quickly homes in toward the canyon wall and explodes on impact. You cease fire and watch the ball of fire rise above the hillside as you hear the explosion echo back to you. It's followed by the whines and whimpers of the Sand People as they flee in terror.
"That got 'em!" You say with a laugh.
You holster your blasters and Sunset steps past you. "Nice work, Anon. More of them will show up soon though."
She's right. You need to move. The two of you quickly retrace your steps back down the trail until you end up back at your vehicle a few minutes later. Thankfully, there's no signs of tampering or looting. The Sand People must not have seen you until after you had parked. A lucky break.
You quickly mount the bike with Sunset and start the ignition. The bike whirs to life again and you turn it around, beginning your drive back through the canyon and on your way to Mos Espa.
It isn't totally dark yet, but it's dark enough that you need your headlights to see better. You'd rather not wreck your new speeder bike, so you also drive a bit slower through the canyon than you did before.
After a few minutes of driving through the canyon back the way you came, you finally make it back to the Dune Sea. Once you're in the open, you accelerate more and zoom back toward the city. Nothing appears out of the ordinary on the desert as you drive, but you still keep your guard up, just in case. Tatooine can be unpredictable. Especially at dusk.
After a few minutes of driving toward the faint glow of the lights up ahead on the horizon, you're within the city limits again. You slow down as you enter the big door to the city and maneuver around the people, buildings, and moisture evaporators as you make your way back to the docking bay.
You activate the comms and contact Rarity. "Rarity, we're almost back. Open the cargo bay."
There's a moment before she replies. "Alright, darling. Um, how do I do that?"
"There's a panel on the wall in there. Find the controls and it will drop a cargo elevator." You reply.
She pauses for a few more seconds before replying. "Oh, I see it."
You switch off your comms and continue toward the docking bay. Upon entering and seeing your ship, you drive onto your lowered cargo elevator. Rarity is in the ship looking down at you.
You shut off the bike and the elevator begins to rise. Once inside, you and Sunset both dismount the bike and head into the main hold with Rarity. Sunset takes off her helmet and sets it down on the table in the middle, taking a deep breath.
"So." She begins. "Cato Neimoidia?" She's talking to you, but she's looking at Rarity.
You also look at Rarity. "Yep. Cato Neimoidia."
Sunset nods and adjusts her hair as she heads to the cockpit. Rarity sadly looks down at the ground. There's an awkward tension in the room between you two that's so thick, your new lightsaber probably couldn't even cut through it.
"Look Rarity..." You take off your helmet and set it down next to Sunset's. "I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. With the Sith being there and my injury and all-"
"No, no." She interrupts. "You were right... I...I was scared and I let my fear get the best of me and I ran away."
"True, but you were also right." You say as you step toward her. "You aren't a soldier. A warrior. A Mandalorian. You haven't been around fighting and action like Sunset and I have. I lacked perspective, and I apologize to you for that."
She gets a small grin on her face and nods. "Apology accepted, Anonymous." You grin back at her and she approaches you to give you a hug. After a moment, she releases you and smiles. "So, are we good? I can still find bounties for you?"
You chuckle. "Of course. I wouldn't be able to find anyone better than you at that."
She smiles. "Good. Because I do know for a fact that I enjoy doing that."
You smile at her when suddenly, you hear the engines start up. You're taking off.
"Well, I'm glad we got this out of the way." You say. "We'll drop you off back home and then we'll head toward our next target. You can rest in your bunk or come up to the cockpit with us."
She looks to the crew quarters behind her and takes a deep breath. "I think I'll try to rest. I should be able to now that you're back and safe."
You nod at her. "Sounds good." You grin at her and head to the cockpit to meet up with Sunset.
"...And, Anonymous?" Rarity begins. You stop and look back at her again. She smiles at you softly. "Thank you."
You simply nod at her and smile before turning around to walk into the cockpit. You take a seat in the co-pilot's chair next to Sunset and watch the hangar walls outside descend below you as the ship rises into the air.
As she accelerates toward the atmosphere, Sunset looks at you. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah." You nod. "She's fine."
"Good." She says, looking back at the viewport window. "This would've been a lot less stressful if she hadn't been here."
"I know, I know." You wave your hand. "You're right. I'm wrong. I'm sorry."
She smirks again and glances over at you. "Apology accepted, babe. Just don't do it again."
You look back at her. "I won't. I promise."
She smiles at you and turns back to the controls. It's nighttime, so you can already see tons of stars, but now you're almost to the edge of space. Once you're finally there, you lock in the coordinates to Cato Neimoidia and Sunset hits the throttle. Seconds later, you're in hyperspace.
The two of you stand up. Sunset grunts a little and holds her stomach.
You look at her with concern. "Are you okay?"
She nods. "Yeah. It doesn't hurt anymore, but I can still feel it. I'll be okay. Getting the wind knocked out of you is awful." She smiles at you and the two of you head into the main hold together. "We've got a few hours. I'm going to head to bed."
You nod. "Alright. I'll be there soon."
You kiss each other real quick before parting ways. She heads to your room while you head into the armory and start to remove your armor and weapons before taking inventory.