Tales of the Mandalorians

[Dieter Schprokets]

John Cabot and his Consul Dha Piruna were walking in New London, on their way from meeting a client, who had been deliquent in paying his bills. The Mandalorians had been very emphatic in the meeting about how important it was to the client that his liver remain in place, and strangely enough, a substantial cheque had been cut. So they were in a good mood. Relieved, like the client really, really was.

A man in the dark red tunic ran toward them. Like the colour one would imagine blood stained coal. The right colour, really. Dha'wherd.

Dha's hand reached towards his blaster. John motioned for him to relax.

"Its ok. It's E'tan. One of the better ones."

Dha kept his hand near the blaster anyway. The Dha'wherd were right at the top of his list of people he wanted gone. Could never trust them.

Dha'wherd E'tan ran right up to the Mandalorians, then stopped, wheezing, hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Out with it, man." demanded Dha Piruna. "You didn't run all this way for pleasantries. Not one of you."

E'tan was still breathless, but he managed a response.

"Comm interception. Coalition officer. Stranded in Cortez."

John's eyes lit up. "Our turn to run, Dha. Keep up E'tan!" He broke into a fast jog, to retrace the Dha'wherd's path, back to the Mandalorian Communications Interception and Decryption Centre.

Piruna frowned, but kept up. "John, we don't have a bounty on any Coalition. Not now."

The Mandalore laughed. "Don't need one, Dha, but I want to capture him alive, anyway. Think about it. Dead, he's just meat. Alive...."

Dha got it, and finished the sentence. "...we could auction him off to the highest bidder. Any one of the four houses would pay good money for him, and the information between his ears." He was smiling now. Dha liked money.

Dha smiled even broader. Maybe the highest bidder would be the Coalition itself! That would be most amusing.

The thought of credits quickened the pace of all three men...

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