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The Wheel

The Wheel is a giant space station well-known for its casinos and luxury hotel. It resembles a huge wheel, with a central axis consisting of the main fuselage of the station. The axis is an immense cylinder, and at its midpoint there were two main spokes leading out to the circular promenade and inner city. It's a good place to gamble and trade, and more so to hide. A place full of criminals,ruffians and high rollers, everyone usually minds their business.

The swoop race organizers set up a private party for the racers to attend and have some down time. Yum and Guna, the tynnan duo, were playing up the party atmosphere. They were playing host to all the racers, friends, and sponsors. Naturally with a private party, word got out.

The Wheel was abuzz with their favorite racers being there.

Bokoof bowed to several fans he'd just finished signing autographs for and joined the group, "This was the last thing I was expecting here."

"You're rated in the top five," said Dokraar, "I think we should get to our suites before you get mauled again."

FR-33 had kindly paid for Bokoof and the crew to live in luxury while at The Wheel. Bokoof had a suite with Lokrut and Sheef. Thikok, Buklam, Dokraar, and Daddus were in another. Hungo, Nuz, Grok, and Enko had their own.

"Whoa!" Sheef exclaimed as they entered their suite, "This place is amazing!"

The suite consisted of a lounge with leather couches and a holoprojector with some rather risque video selections. A broad window showed a view out to deep space. On both sides of the window were doors leading into the bedrooms. They were lush with king size beds with silk sheets, trays of rich treats, and a full bar.

Sheef jumped around on his bed, "This is so koovy!"

Bokoof leaned against the frame to his room, "Me or the bouncy one?"

Lokrut snorted, "You. I don't have that kind of energy."

Sheef gasped, "I get this monstrous bed all to myself!?"

"Don't go too crazy," Bokoof chuckled.

Lokrut dropped his pack at the foot of the bed, "This is weird."

"I can sleep on the couch if you want," said Bokoof.

"Oh, no," said Lokrut, "I didn't mean that. It's just, a few months ago it was floors and storage crates."

"I guess your life has really turned around," Bokoof patted him on the shoulder.

"The force works in mysterious ways," Lokrut muttered.

"I hope to see where your path leads," Bokoof smiled.

Lokrut ran a hand over the silk sheets and slid himself onto them with a happy sigh. Enko was on his way to meet with Buklam and Thikok. The three of them were having tea together. Enko rang the door chime to their suite. The door opened, Dokraar and Daddus were on their way out.

"Ah, master Enko," Dokraar bowed, "They await you."

Enko rolled his eyes, "Thanks Do."

Dokraar and Daddus chuckled as they departed.

"Welcome Enko," said Thikok as the kushiban closed the door.

"This is a pretty sweet gig you guys have going," said Enko as he jumped up onto the couch and sat cross legged, "When you described Bokoof's profession and what it came with, this isn't what I was expecting."

"They tend to have parties like this from time to time," said Thikok, "We hide out in the luxurious rooms or enjoy the sights."

"This is surely the place for the younger crowd," Enko pulled a rather large cup of tea to himself, "Or the old who have nothing left to lose."

"Well, we do dabble a bit in the gambling," Buklam chuckled, "I'm not allowed to play sabacc anymore."

Thikok laughed, "Quite right. So, Enko. What's next for you?"

"Well, I haven't thought that far," he said, running a finger over the rim of his cup, "I got excited when I saw you. I had hoped maybe you would lead me to more jedi. Well, you did, you all successfully live together, and even have a once was sith with a change of heart. You act nothing like jedi anymore though."

"Well," Thikok squeezed a hand on Buklams knee, "Sometimes the force works in mysterious ways."

Enko laughed, "That it does. I guess I was pretending to be a pet all those years. We all changed in fun, unique ways. I guess if it's alright, I can travel with you?"

"Eh, well," Buklam started.

"You can say no," said Enko, "I thrust myself upon you all unexpectedly. My benefits though; I'm small, and I'm only wearing a harness with a lightsaber. I take up no space, and I eat very little."

Buklam chuckled, "Well, we had already discussed it. You're welcome to join us for as long as you like."

"Yes!" Enko nearly knocked his cup over in joy, "Whoop. Thank you. It will be nice to have people to talk to again. Maybe you can pet me every now and then too while telling me all your thoughts. I've become a pro at that."

Thikok laughed, "I'll keep that in mind."

* * * * *

Hungo was at the party sniffing through all the food. There were many things he'd never seen nor smelled before. A serving droid leaned over to look down at him.

"Did you need assistance, sir?" the droid asked.

"No, I just don't know what's edible," Hungo told the droid.

The droid tilted his head, "It's all edible, sir."

Hungo grabbed whatever into his feet and walked away. He sat down at a corner table and looked over the room. It was rather crowded with people who are much fancier than him. It was events like this that made him miss bounty hunting. The dug mindlessly chowed down.

"Hungo Kug, is that you?" a gravelly voice called out.

A large chistori came up to Hungo. Chistori are saurian beings. They have large snouts and a mouthful of sharp teeth, and small eyes. They're lithe but strong. Their durable hide is covered in thick scales. This one's blue and purple scales glittered in the casino's lights.

"Aondi?" Hungo jumped up onto the table and shook a foot with the chistori, "It's good to see you!"

"Good to see you!" the chistori laughed, "What's a scrub like you doing in such a fancy place?"

Hungo laughed, "My fortunes have changed."

Aondi stroked the tendrils that hung down from his snout, "Mmm, we should catch up. Perhaps after the party. I'm here picking up a job."

"Oh?" Hungo smirked, "Anything fun?"

"Maybe if you're not too busy," Aondi gave his tendrils a tug, "You could join me on my next run."

"Just give me a call," the dug blushed.

Aondi winked and left the dug to his feet full of food and flushed cheeks. The dug felt

better about attending the party now. Daddus and Dokraar were at the food bar. They were nibbling on everything they could touch. The both of them were trying to find new things they could try and cook for the crew.

"Bleh," Daddus spit out a mouthful of food, "That tastes like overcooked pta."

Dokraar sniffed curiously at a cut of meat, "There's some good spices on this." He shoved it into his maw, "Oh, this is good."

Dokraar passed Daddus a piece, "Oh, I agree! Do you know what was used?"

Dokraar played around with it on his tongue, "Mmm, it's definitely nerf. I'll have to check my herbs when we get back to the ship. There's some sort of sauce they let it soak in. That's the smoky heat on it."

Daddus picked up a fruit he'd never seen before and put it into his mouth, "Oh, this is tasty. Do you know what it is?"

Dokraar picked up the fruit and took a look over it, "Well, it's purple."

Daddus laughed, "You're so helpful."

The two of them loaded up several plates and sat down at a table. They waved a droid down that was serving wine. They smiled and clinked their cups together. Both drank deeply from the glasses, and began giggling.

"Hmm, how long has it been?" Daddus asked.

"Us?" Dokraar looked thoughtful, "At least ten years."

"I'll never forget the day you saved me," said Daddus, "Beaten and bruised, and you fell in love with me."

Dokraar chuckled, "You were strong and brave in that gladiator pit. I ended up betting all my money on you."

"Good thing I won," Daddus laughed, "And then you chased me down. The balls on you to ask a strange selonian gladiator out on a date."

Dokraar held up his cup of wine, "To another ten years?"

Daddus smiled and clinked glasses with him. They took their drinks all the way down and waved for more wine. They held hands as they continued to reminisce and judge through the food. Bokoof came into the room with a new leather jacket on, it has a red gundark face painted on the back. FR-33 delivered it to him and said the sponsor had it commissioned as a gift for his success so far.

"Look at you, all fresh," Kas complimented him, "Almost as fresh as me."

"The only thing fresh about you is the shower you took," Vee jabbed at him, "Bout time you made it to the party."

"It's not often I get a room with a shower and a jacuzzi," Bokoof chuckled, "I had to enjoy it for a bit."

"Your room has a jacuzzi?" Kas grumbled, "I should have gotten the suite."

"You're welcome to stop by," Bokoof offered.

"I'll never leave," the lepi laughed.

Vee nudged Bokoof, "I've never seen Sirrfhukk so patient with someone."

Sirrfhukk was showing Phiss the different kinds of foods he could eat. The wookiee was loading up the trandoshans plate with a little of everything. He then sat Phiss down and barked at him to eat. The wookiee went back and grabbed more food for both him and Phiss. The wookiee sighed when Phiss didn't eat. The trandoshan sank into his seat when Sirrfhukk picked up a fork, stabbed some food, and forced his mouth open.

Vee snorted, "I wonder how soon until that trandoshan regrets staying."

"Give him time," Bokoof chuckled, "Man, they went all out for this party."

"Yeah, they've got quite the spread," said Vee, "Kinda makes me wonder if Gamorr is gonna be a lot more than all of us can chew. Feeding some of these racers their last meal."

"It's a class ten track," said Bokoof as he started to load up his food, "I'm pretty sure we'll lose maybe one or two. Especially in the overgrown jungles. Not only will the vines get you, so will the creatures within."

"What creatures?" Kas look concerned.

"You're a tiny snack," Vee told him, "They'll like the bigger bait."

Bokoof chuckled, "I guess I'll be your bait."

"You're pretty confident you'll keep up with me," Vee smirked.

"I'm more worried about Hela," said Kas as he pointed out the cosian at the bar.

Cosians are a reptilian-like species. They have beaked mouths and four fingers. They grow white hair, which depending on who they are determines how they wore their hair as a status symbol for family, tribe, or profession. Their most notable feature is their long, muscular tail that ends with a large tuft of hair on the tip.

Hela is the Gamorr favorite. She's the current record holder for the track, so she would be the one to beat. She kept mostly to herself, and Bokoof thinks it's because she's at least twenty years or more older than everyone. Except Sirrfhukk. She'd always watch everyone with tired eyes. Bokoof wondered if maybe this was her last hurrah.

She was well respected having had such a long history of being a podracer and now a famed swoop racer. Bokoof kind of hopes she wins the next one. Vee and Kas joined Bokoof at Sirrfhukk's table. The wookiee was now forcing dessert upon Phiss.

"Please, no more food," Phiss begged.

The wookiee glared at him and the trandoshan started to eat his cake.

"Careful there Sirrf," Kas chuckled, "You're gonna end up making him sick."

The wookiee chuffed in disagreement.

"How've you been adapting Phiss?" Bokoof asked.

"Things have been well, thank you," said Phiss as he continued to eat.

"I imagine living with Sirrfhukk has been a bit difficult," said Vee, "He's big and rough around the edges."

Sirrfhukk barked at her.

"Well, you are," she said, she then looked thoughtful, "I don't even know what you live in. How come you never invite anyone over?"

Sirrfhukk rolled his eyes and rumbled and huffed.

"Really?" said Kas, "Even I have a bigger ship than that, and I'm half your size."

Sirrfhukk went on to explain he prefers humble living. Being a solo flying wookiee, he didn't want to inconvenience himself with unnecessary things. He even has to share his bed with Phiss now. Which probably explains why Sirrfhukk tried so hard to get rid of him, but Phiss blushed.

"I...it's been no problem," said Phiss, "It's a rather large enough bed."

"You have plenty of credits, why not just buy a bigger ship?" Kas asked.

Sirrfhukk told the lepi to mind his business.

"Gee, alright," Kas went back to eating.

Vee didn't back down though, "He's right. You should get a bigger ship. What's gonna happen if you pick up another free man that refuses to leave your side? I'm sure you can also use more space for your swoop and workshop."

Sirrfhukk glowered at her and told her to drop it.

"Hmm, what do you think, Bokoof?" she asked.

Bokoof swallowed the food he had in his mouth, "Uh, well, I think we should respect Sirrfhukk, and stop pressing the matter."

Sirrfhukk thanked him for being on his side.

"Whatever," said Vee, sipping into her wine, "He has the means to give himself and Phiss more comfort. He doesn't even talk about what he's saving all his credits for anyway. As far as I know, he's been racing nonstop for many years now. Always traveling. Why live in a tin can?"

Sirrfhukk barked at her yet again.

Vee smirked. She was trying her best to get under his skin. Bokoof finished up his wine and excused himself. The shistavanen soon found himself being followed around as he went to explore the casino. He ignored them as he took in the sights The Wheel had to offer. There was a lot of unique architecture and statues. Having been built almost one hundred years ago, it was a bit like a museum.

Bokoof spied Buklam and Thikok at a dejarik table. Enko was standing on a chair on one side with stacks of credits next to him facing off against a twi'lek. They had a rather large crowd around them, watching in anticipation.

Dejarik is a round table game with an outer ring and an inner ring, the center isn't a moveable space. Each player has four pieces. One brute piece starts in the inner ring, and the three other pieces, predator, guardian and scout, can go where the player wants in a square form in front of the player. Each piece had its own strategic movements the players could use.

The brute could move any direction in one space, even diagonally. The predator could move two tiles left or right, and up or down one. It also had the advantage of hopping over other pieces. The guardian can move forward or backward one tile, then can go two tiles left or right, making an L shape. Scouts can move two tiles in any direction. They could also leave the start space, then back again.

Their attacks were different when they would go in for an opponent's piece. Brutes of course can attack in any direction, however, they can't attack pieces that haven't left their start position. For the predator to attack, it can move one tile forward or backward, then to the left or right two tiles. An L shape much like the guardians movement. The guardian can attack two tiles to the left or right. The scout can attack one square forward or backward, and may attack either before or after their move.

One strategic move is trapping an opponent and taking them out with a combo. Which is what Enko was planning. He would be able to combo his attacks against the twi'lek if she made the wrong decision. The twi'lek was studying the board carefully. She had a smug expression when she selected her move. Enko moved his brute diagonally onto the outer ring.

The twi'lek moved her guardian to line up for a take down on Enko's scout. Enko had his guardian move to force her to move her scout. She leaned in close to figure out the lineup. She maneuvered her scout out of the way. Enko moved his scout out. She laughed and moved her brute to block the scout off. Enko went in for the kill with his predator, setting off the combo. The twi'lek swore as she was left with one piece.

"Oh, come on," she got up and left the table since Enko still had all four pieces.

"Next!" Enko smirked.

The crowd looked hesitant, Thikok put a hand on Enko's shoulder, "I think fifty thousand is enough."

"Ugh," Enko sighed, "Fine. Let's go. Buklam, carry my credits."

"Why me?" Buklam frowned.

"I don't have pockets!" Enko motioned over his harnessed body.

"I'm gonna use this money to buy him a bag," said Buklam as he loaded his pack up.

"I see you guys are dodging the party," said Bokoof from behind them.

"Bah, you know we're not ones for big parties," said Thikok, "Besides, Enko convinced us to come down and play games."

"You mean come down and clean people of their pockets," Enko laughed.

Bokoof chuckled, "You should stop in, the food is really good. And the atmosphere is actually relaxing."

"You know you have a crowd following you, right?" Buklam asked.

"Yeah, ever since I left the party," Bokoof chuckled, "I've not bothered looking back."

Thikok chuckled, "Well, you may need to find a way to disappear, otherwise you'll end up with some stalkers at your door."

"Heh, don't worry, I already saw an easy out where I can force jump out of sight," Bokoof smirked, "They'll be so confused."

"We're getting our own stares too," said Buklam, "I don't know why the swoop organization chose here of all places."

"It's good for reputation," said Bokoof, "There's a lot of high rollers that go through here. Lets them scope out the talent up close at the party. Maybe I can get us some more credits by finding some more sponsors."

"More credits are always good," said Thikok, "With the amount we use to buy supplies for refugees, we could always use more."

Buklam rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess. This has just never been a welcoming place for anyone that doesn't look close enough to human."

"Well, we are the station's guests," said Bokoof, "It's why I suggested the party in the first place though. Good place for us to lay low and not feel weird. But with my fan squad following me around, I'd say we're pretty safe out here."

"I'm surprised we haven't been removed because of Enko's win streak," Buklam jokes.

"I haven't had credits to spend on myself in a long time," Enko said, "I would like to be able to have a space on the ship that says it's me eventually. And there's a few meals I'd like to cook. I want to belong more."

Buklam patted Enko on the head, "Don't you worry shorty, we'll make you a space on the ship. You belong well enough."

Bokoof returned to the party with the three of them. The fans that were following Bokoof were blocked at the door. Enko ran up to the table full of food. Lokrut had made himself present and was sitting with Dokraar and Daddus. The two of them had a stack of plates on the table, having sampled everything the party had to offer. Sheef was having an animated conversation with Kas and Vee. It dawned on Bokoof when the two of them looked over at him with questioning eyes what the squib may be going on about.

Bokoof sighed and went over to them, "Is Sheef talking your ears off?"

"Yeah," said Kas, "He's telling us you actually have a gundark on your ship?"

Bokoof had relief wash over him, "Ah, hehe. Yeah. His name is Mugg."

"How even?" Vee asked incredulously.

"Well, I picked him up from a trainer at one of the races I won," said Bokoof, "He put him in as a bid, and I ended up taking him home. He's pretty fun to have around."

"And he's chill with the whole crew?" Kas asked.

"Of course," Bokoof laughed, "He's quite lovable. He's super smart too. He helps around the ship when he wants."

"I want to meet him!" Kas cried out.

"You'll have to come over after the next race," said Sheef, "What about you Vee?"

"Oh no," Vee held up her hands, "I'm not getting anywhere near some beast."

Bokoof chuckled.

"Me and Buklam are taking some food, and heading back up to the room," Thikok informed him, "We're gonna take advantage of having a quieter space before those two get back up there." He pointed at Daddus and Dokraar.

Bokoof smirked, "They do get pretty loud."

Thikok and Buklam left with their food. Enko was busy taking in the whole crowd. His ears swiveled this way and that. He was clearly trying to listen in on conversations. Sirrfhukk was staring over at him. The wookiee was squinting and clearly trying to see if he recognized him. The wookiee stood up and went over to him. He rumbled at him.

Enko seemed shocked, "You know who I am?"

The wookiee roared and chuffed at him.

"Oh, well," Enko held a finger up to his lips, "Not so loud. But yes, I was there."

Sirrfhukk huffed out and pulled the small kushiban up into a hug. Enko let out a squeak as Sirrfhukk held onto him tightly. Enko patted his tiny hands against the wookiee.

"Not so tight, big guy," Enko laughed.

Sirrfhukk put him down and knelt before him. The wookiee was growling and chuffing as quietly as he could with Enko. Enko looked proud of what Sirrfhukk had to tell him. Bokoof had never seen such behavior out of Sirrfhukk. The wookiee held Enko in the highest regard and looked thrilled to be talking with him. Bokoof would have to ask him later what this was about.

Hungo slapped Bokoof on the ass as he went skipping by. The dug was on his way to meet up with his friend Aondi. Hungo made his way across the casino. He was meeting up with the chistori at a private room in one of the upper floor clubs. The dug went up the elevator that led right into the club. The bass was bumping as he made his way over to the bar where the chistori was waiting.

"Ah, Hungo," Aondi grinned, "Glad you could make it. You ready to meet the employer?"

"I can't wait," said Hungo, "It's been so long since I'd been on a proper hunt."

Aondi led them to the private room. Two combat droids were blocking the door. They moved to the side when Aondi told them he was there to see Tan Baht. The chistori led the way into the room. A human was waiting for them. They're a species with smooth pale white to black skin, and have small pointed noses. The men tend to be hairier than the women. They typically have stylized hair to show off to others. This human was white with a white beard.

"Welcome gentlemen," Tan Baht motioned for them to have a seat.

"Good to see you Tan," said Aondi as he sat down, "This is my friend Hungo, a fellow bounty hunter that will be assisting me."

"Having two of you can make short work of the job then," said Tan, "I approve. I have three targets for you to take out. One million credits for each one taken down. Dead."

"One million credits?" Hungo nearly shouted.

"They're people who've been thorns in my side," said Tan, "I've tried the kinder options, but I think it would be better to take care of them permanently." Tan slid them a datapad, "Review the targets. I have their next known location, and there's a perfect setup to execute."

"We'll get it done," said Aondi as he picked up the datapad.

"I'll call you after the event," Tan told him as he showed them out the door, "I'll see you then."

Aondi led them out of the club, "Let me send you who our targets are." Aondi sent the targets to the dug's communicator, "I have something I need to drop off, so this is where we part ways. We'll meet on Gamorr."

"Sounds like a plan," the dug smirked.

Aondi leaned down and pressed his snout against his, "It's going to be great working with you again."

"Of course my friend," Hungo rubbed noses with him, he then took a look at their bounties, "Uhm.. Aondi, can we maybe talk about the targets real quick?"

Aondi chuckled, "Sure. I guess I can spare a few minutes."

* * * * *

Sheef and Kas were drunkenly stumbling down the hallway back to the suite. Sheef fumbled with the passcode a few times before he got the door open. The lepi giggled as he tugged Sheef inside. Kas was astonished at how roomie the suite was. Sheef grabbed him by his hands and led him to his bedroom. Lokrut and Bokoof walked through the door a few moments later.

"Think they'll be alright?" Lokrut asked.

"I'm pretty sure they'll pass out soon as they get their clothes off," Bokoof chuckled.

The lepi and the squib were grappling around each other as they made out. They both managed to make their way into Sheef's room. Bokoof tossed his jacket onto the couch and started to strip down, making his way to his room. Lokrut sighed and followed Bokoof into the room. Both shistavanen stripped bare and settled down into bed.

"You have a good time?" Bokoof asked him.

"It was interesting," Lokrut turned to face him, "Very crowded."

Bokoof smirked as he looked at him, "Yeah. It takes getting used to. The food was good, and the company was nice. It's rough always being rivals on the track."

"Why'd you choose racing?" Lokrut asked.

"It's decent pay," said Bokoof, "Run good enough, the more interest in you there is. The more people will likely bet for you or against you, and you get the payout."

"I guess it helps that you're force sensitive," said Lokrut.

"I try not to use that to my advantage," Bokoof chuckled, "Then I'd probably win every race."

"I doubt Sirrfhukk would let you," Lokrut smirked.

"He's certainly a mystery," said Bokoof, "No matter what I try to do to get him to open up, the more closed off he gets. So, I just let him be and we cooperate on the track."

"Him and Enko seemed to get it on," Lokrut stretched.

"Yeah," said Bokoof, "I'll need to ask him about that. Sirrfhukk seemed to know him well."

Lokrut spread himself out over the large bed as he pulled the blanket up over his chest. Bokoof ruffled up his mane. Lokrut laughed and pushed his hand away. Bokoof chuckled and laid back. He let out a deep sigh.

"Good night, Lo," he said.

"Good night, Bo," Lokrut smiled.

They were woken up by a rumbling sound some hours later. The hotel alarm was going off in the hallways. Bokoof and Lokrut got up to look out the window. It appeared that one of the rooms above them was blown up. Bokoof's communicator went off.

Bokoof picked it up, "Hey, I'm here."

"Good," came Thikok's voice, "We weren't sure how much higher than us you were."

"Looks like one of the senatorial suites," said Bokoof, "Probably some sort of assassination."

"Keep your ears open," said Thikok, "Be sure it doesn't escalate further and comes down to your level."

"Me and Lokrut are full awake now," said Bokoof, "And I'm sure The Wheel security is on it. This station doesn't take violence lightly."

"Hopefully it's nothing, I guess it's to be expected in a place like this" said Thikok, "Call us if you need us."

"Yeah," Bokoof disconnected.

The alarm on the station turned off. Bokoof took that as a sign that they weren't in any danger. There was a spacecraft and droids hovering over the suite that was blown up. They were putting out the fire and the droids were setting up a perimeter shield over the hole.

"I think we'll be alright if we go back to sleep," said Lokrut as he turned back to the room.

"Yeah, probably," said Bokoof as he went with him.

* * * * *

Bokoof slid on his jacket and slung his pack over his shoulder. It was time for them to leave. Kas said his goodbyes. The lepi seemed embarrassed by his infatuation from last night. He gave Sheef a smooch before running out of the suite. Lokrut was ready to go. Sheef got finished dressing, then he himself was ready.

They made their way down to the docking bay. Security was extra tight. Security droids were busy scanning peoples luggage on their way through. The three of them made their way to the loading bay where most of the crew was already waiting.

"Have you guys seen Hungo?" Grok asked, "He never showed back up to the room, and I can't raise him on his communicator."

"We haven't," said Bokoof.

"According to our tracker, he's not even on the station," said Buklam.

M2 came rolling down the loading ramp. He beeped and buzzed at the crew to follow him. With confusion, they did as M2 asked. The droid led them into the cargo bay and turned to them. He started to playback a holographic message.

"I'm good M2?" Hungo asked, unsure how the recording worked, M2 whistled, "Ok, good. Uh. Well, I guess this might be goodbye for a while. I met an old friend while at your party last night," Hungo motioned over to the chistori behind him, "Aondi had offered me to help him with a bounty."

Hungo sighed, "Except, the bounty wasn't exactly appetizing. So, I worked out a deal with him, and we're going to travel to find more fruitful bounties. Ones that actually count for something."

"He's never turned down a bounty," Buklam crossed his arms, "I wonder what changed."

"I made sure the bounty wouldn't resurface," said Hungo, "I took out the man who hired us on the station last night."

"That explains the explosion," said Thikok, "A little overkill though."

"I had to plant a bomb in his quarters," said Hungo, "He was too heavily protected by combat droids. He wasn't an easy target. But, I had to take him out any way I could. In exchange for my service, I took five hundred thousand from the safe as compensation."

"HE WHAT!?" Buklam became enraged as he threw a crate across the ship.

Mugg bellowed at him in disapproval.

"Shh," Thikok held a finger to his lips.

Hungo continued, "I just want you to know Bokoof. You, that rodian, and that wookiee, were worth one million each."

"Whoa..." Bokoof was taken aback.

"Once I learned you were in the bounty, I just couldn't," said Hungo, "You were marked for death by the man. No one hurts my family." Hungo smiled, "You guys have come to mean so much to me. But I think I should lay low. According to Aondi, I took out quite a powerful man. But, yeah, I should stop, otherwise I'll ramble. I'll be watching you race Bokoof. I'll miss all of you." The holograph ended.

"Only a million?" Bokoof jokes.

Nuz punched him in the arm, "You doof, if Hungo didn't pick that bounty up, you'd end up dead."

"I know," Bokoof rubs the spot where Nuz hit him, "I'm just shocked. I didn't think I was that big of a threat on the track. Makes me wonder who this guy was trying to help."

"Could be anyone," said Thikok, "There were a lot of people at that party yesterday."

"Top five are me, Vee, Sirrfhukk, Cacyn, and Mobaw," said Bokoof, "I doubt either Cacyn or Mobaw would take us out."

"Well, could be one of the financiers," suggested Grok, "Surely when you guys win, they're losing credits. Would make sense to take out the top competition. It would shake up the other racers too."

"It would definitely send a message," said Nuz, "We need to figure something out. Have extra eyes and ears around to look out for you."

"I volunteer," said Knot.

"I thought you hated us," Bokoof pokes at him.

"I loathe you, I don't hate you," said Knot, "Besides, you've been better to me than any imp. And you maintain me like I matter."

"You're just itching to have something to do other than mope around the ship," Buklam teased him.

"Wow, you're so observant," Knot shot back at him, "Yes, I want something to do that's not inventory and fixing the engines."

M2 whistled and buzzed.

"Fine, you can join me," Knot crossed his arms, "But I'm in charge."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt for you two to blend in and mingle amongst other droids," said Buklam.

"We'll have to make you a mockup restraining bolt so folks think you're locked," said Grok, "People are suspicious when droids don't have restraining bolts on."

"Disgusting," said Knot, "But I will comply. I suppose I am considered dangerous."

"Guys, we don't need to go that far," said Bokoof, "I'll be fine."

"Someone tried to take you out for one million credits," Grok protested.

"Yeah, but Hungo was there to intervene," said Bokoof, "It's either luck, or the force needs me for something. It may sound arrogant, but there's only so much we can do to save me from bounty hunters. We'll just have to meet each one head on when they come around. Or, we can hope this is the last time."

"He's right, I guess," said Buklam, "We wouldn't even know where to begin."

"Can I still get that restraining bolt and leave the ship?" Knot asked.

"You can leave the ship whenever you want, you dolt," said Buklam.

"You told me to stay in engineering," Knot protested.

"Sheef, can you make him a new brain?" Buklam asked.

"Are we gonna see Hungo again?" Sheef frowned.

"I hope so," said Buklam, "I need to wring his neck for taking our credits."

"A fair trade for Bokoof," Thikok smiled.

"I'm worth more than the five hundred thousand he took," Bokoof jokes.