Ta’xi pulled back on the stick allowing the nose of the shuttle to raise slightly. “Fave, Landing gear,” muttered the Verpine while steadily reducing the throttle bringing the ship down towards the landing pad. “Already done, Master.” Fave said pressing a couple buttons in sequence. Ta’xi leveled off and descended towards the world below them. A world that gleamed with endless lights of myriad colors that made even the busiest of starports seem dull in comparison. The softly fallen snow that lay upon the ground and coated the green pine like trees was a rainbow greeting them.
The little village of Elos Rudsess sat on one of the larger plateaus of the Elos Vrai, a Mountain range on the planet Arx, held a once-a-year celebration of Life Day. Which is why Ta’xi had hoped to make some extra cash with a transport job. Thankfully, Fave had come through and found them their fare. The reverie was broken as the ship came to a rest on the pad. “Oh Master, the lights seem inviting, could we check out the stalls to see if there are any goods to procure?” Fave asked in a hopeful tone. Ta’xi sighed, a sign that Fave took favorably, even as he unbuckled. Fave pressed the intercom, “Attention Passenger, we have arrived at your destination. Please remain seated until the landing ramp has been fully extended. We hope you have enjoyed your ride on Ta’xi Transport Services. Please make sure to rate us 5 solar systems on the holonet page of your choice”.
Ta’xi exited the cockpit and entered the passenger which was filled with chatter. Ta’xi offered the passengers a brief acknowledging glance lingering momentarily on his regular patron, before reaching up and pulling down a lever that opened the door to the outside and extended the ramp to the surface. A gentle yet cold wind blew into the ship and ruffled the Verpine’s flight suit. “Watch your step.” Ta’xi said, gesturing to the outside world.
Creon yawned and stretched from a brief nap on Ta'xi’s furniture within his vessel. When he stood he popped his back and bent over to ease tension on the muscles near his spine from having to maintain a sitting posture. As the other tourists exited the vehicle, Creon watched and waited for them to all depart.
When he glanced over to the Verpine the glow of the sun hit at an angle just right that highlighted Ta'xi’s features. Creon gazed with pride at the friend he made from being a simple customer to a humble regular. Ta'xi had been crucial to extraction on bounties Creon would never had survived otherwise.
He then looked over to contents of the screen on his vambrace, reminding himself that he too was here on business. The village in which sent a request for a hunter was still far from the spaceport they had landed on. With still stiff at the knees from the last mission, Creon walked over to Ta'xi to grab his attention.
“Doing any shopping yourself? Or are you here purely for business? If so, there’s a village on the eastern part of this region with a bounty, which is why I’m here.”
Ta'xi’s head cocked to the side and stared in thought for a moment, before replying, “Fave… wants to shop, so we’ll hang around for a little while here at Rudsess. Good luck with your bounty. I do hope it goes smoothly so it doesn’t end up like the incident on Mundran IV.” It was about that moment when Fave, having finished the landing procedures, entered the room, “Hello, Creon, it is good to see you again. Oh Master, Mundran was a great trip. You even finally made a friend! Oh how exciting!”
Ta'xi chirped in exasperation, “Fave. We nearly died. Our ship isn’t designed for those kind of stunts.” Ta'xi’s wings fluttered in irritation against the back of his flight suit. “Oh Master, this time will be different. we’ll just go see about those goods.” Fave turned to address their friend, “Creon will you be rejoining us on the flight back? if so, please send a message over the comlink to secure your spot on the return flight.” Ta'xi butted in, “No discounts, Fave.”
Creon rolled his eyes about the discount remark, but understood one always in need of more credits. He looked out to the horizon with his hand saluting to shade his eyes, thrn looked to reply to Fave;
“Yes, Fave, I hope you don’t mind,” he winced and thenooked to Ta'xi, “But the danger bonus pay was nice, right?” There was a nervous chuckled that followed with an awkward moment of silence.
“Oookay, I’ll just… I’ll see you guys later,” he then waved and ran outside to gain distance. The jetpack on his back charged with a low hue red light that then turned yellow, to which then came fire bursting from the thrusters that sent his body high into the hair. Creon stiffened like a board and was gone in the horizon from the view of Ta'xi’s parked shuttle.
Ta'xi sighed even as Fave chuckled at the joke. Ta'xi waved as Creon left the ship. “Alright Fave, let’s go shopping”. Fave, throwing his hands in the air with a whirr of servos, “Yay!”
The little village was rustic with semi-close buildings, enough room to build Snowbeings. Here and there, kids built a Wookie, a Hutt, a Rodian. Ta'xi sat behind the wheel of the landspeeder driving slowly through the village letting Fave take in the sights. Settling it in a small parking space. Ta'xi exited and helped Fave exit as well. “Where to Fave?”
“Oh Master lets start over at the beverage station. we are low on supplies for the minibar. Perhaps we can get something festive” Fave said as he walked over to the nearest stand. For the next hour, Ta'xi and Fave went from stand to stand picking up various items for the shuttle. Fave got a snow globe with a R5 unit in it that reminded him of a unit he had met on one of their many journeys. Ta'xi picked up a bottle of Revnog in a flavor the store clerk assurred him was a local favorite.
The bounty’s information details were rudimentary at best, and the village was well populated but not too technologically advanced compared to other places Creon had seen. During his flight he could find no vantage point nor satellite tower to slice. After circling around in vain he took a look around the larger landscape surrounding the town. Creon added mental notes of unique terrain features and their relative direction with a compass on his vambrace to the planet’s poles. Wherever this holiday monster lays it’s head, it couldn’t have been too comfortable, for the environment wasn’t exactly rich with life.
Perhaps I’m too use to better conditions… Creon thought tonhimself.
He landed back at the village and began asking around. Creon was no detective, and found little luck with asking about his target, until he found some children playing in a group.
Creon paid the kids credits for rumors about the monster, and sure enough they knew the most since they were the most afraid. They didn’t know where the creature’s lair was, specifically. However, one of their friends witnessed the demon’s direction when staying up past his bedtime. It was enough for Creon to search for clues.
Another sweep in the direction he was given was conducted on the ground instead of the skies. Creon removed his helmet and used the naken eye in a consistent sweep of the area until he saw faded mounds in the snow shaped like hooved tracks. The tracks led into a forested area, with a largely sloped mountain in the far distance.
Creon’s skepticism got the best of him, believing the hooves could belong to any of the forested life, or those that roam of meadow hills in warmer seasons. It was a slim chance it belonged to the creature, if the tracks were more uniform than what he usually would see. Instead, the style of the trail was evidence that this was a two-legged hooved creature, rather than the expected all fours. If there was only two, it stood upright, with humanoid traits…
Creon followed them throughout the weaving forest until he lost track of them amongst the other brush. He flew above the tree line and made for the mountain as an educated guess.
When he arrived he found it clean, without signs of mounds, caverns, or tracks. He cursed his luck and went back to the forest cluster, but this time sweeping towards the village than away from it.
Creon spent the next hour marching and scanning everywhere for clues.
“Found you,” Creon grinned upon seeing clutter of broken toys, tools, and the same familiar hooved tracks in the snow. Not too far was a cavern at the base of a forested ridge that led towards the mountain.
With the Force he dissappeared from view and marched within. Silence befelt the land with only the whistle of the wind coursing through what winter leaves remained on the nearby trees.
Blaster fire…
An echoed shriek…
The scream of a lightsaber…
Creon emerged from where the shadow of the caves reached until met with sunlight, carrying a horned devil’s severed head in is hand. He looked up to the skies and took flight. The village was soon in his sights and he returned to Ta'xi’s taxi.
“Hmm, seems I still have time to turn this in. Maybe find a box for this,” he says looking at the disfigured head.