Knight of the Force - Chapter 2

[Lendrick]

CHAPTER TWO

THE EXCHANGE

 

2 Years Later….

 

Nar Shadaar,

 

Slums Quarter

 

8:39pm…

 

Lendrick was nervous.

 

Meeting the Black Sun raiders here to hand off a supply of Bacta that they were extorting from the love of his life was something that set Lendrick nerves afire.

 

Lilania wasn’t here herself, it was far too dangerous, but Lendrick, an officer now in the Nar Shadaar Police force, working undercover, the exchange was about to take place.

 

A contingent of backup officers was safely out of sight, and night was just about here.

 

The slums quarter of Nar Shadaar certainly deserved its name. The streets and buildings in this part of the city-moon were decrepit and in a state of decay and disrepair. Homeless aliens and people milled about the streets, hoping a passer-by might spare a few credits.

 

The other most noticeable feature of the Slums would have to have been the smell. A reeking odour of spoiled garbage and excrement permeated everything and it took all of Lendrick’s iron stomach to not retch.

 

The Black sun syndicate, made up of mostly pirates and thieves, approached the hospital where Lilania works as a nurse and threatened the staff there. They wanted a case of Bacta, which would be on-sold on the Black market for a tidy profit and Lilania happened to be working the night they paid a visit.

 

They threatened her life if she approached the authorities, but Lilania wasn’t intimidated by them, and informed Lendrick straight away.

 

 

Lendrick took Lilania out of the equation, putting himself in undercover as the middleman supplier for the Bacta and co-ordinated this exchange with the rest of his officers’.

 

“They’re late” Lendrick whispered to himself, standing just inside the double doors of an abandoned droid shop that had been decided on for where the exchange will take place.

 

“Be patient, they like to keep people waiting, and they are no doubt scouting the area as we speak” Lendrick’s watch commander whispered back into his ear through a sub-dermal microphone.

 

As if on cue, three Speeders pulled up and six men jumped out, two from each speeder.

 

The Twi’lek called Junta that Lendrick had been dealing with approached him, his Lekku tails twitching nervously.

 

“Well, Len me boy. Here you are, where is the case?” Junta asked.

 

“Safe. Where are the credits?’ Lendrick replied, glowering at the six armed men.

 

“Junta you told me there would be one other, what with all the rest?” Lendrick added.

 

“Cant’ be too careful now, can we? Now where is it?”

 

“Show me the credits first”.

 

Sighing in frustrated exasperation, Junta motioned for one of the others, a scrawny male human with a missing eye to bring a Dura-steel case over. Lendrick could see Junta punching in code to open the case, but couldn’t see what the code was.

 

 

An affirmative beep sounded and the Twi’lek opened the case, moving it so that Lendrick could see inside it.

 

There was more Republic Credits in that case than Lendrick had ever seen in his entire life and most likely would ever see. Lendrick was a simple person though, and wealth and credits did not interest him personally. For the situation though, an act must be played.

 

To facilitate, Lendrick’s eyes widened and mouth dropped open slightly, taking a step towards the case.

Junta seeing the movement quickly closed the case again and punched in a random code, locking it tight.

 

 

“Now, you see we have the agreed amount. You give us the Bacta and we pass you the case and code to open it. Deal?’

Lendrick touched his ear.

 

“Now.”

 

The world blared into sirens and flashing lights as Lendrick’s backup converged on the scene.

 

The look of betrayal crossed Junta’s features and he brought his rifle to bear on Lendrick.

 

“You double-crossed us? Kill him!”

 

Lendrick exploded into action, quickly crossing the remaining distance between himself and Junta; Lendrick propelled his body in to a jumping back spin kick, his right foot trailing out and connected with the bulk of Junta’s rifle sending it out wide just as he fired off a blast.

 

Standing in front of Junta, Lendrick reversed his kicking momentum and spun his left foot inside out in a crescent kick to Junta’s head, snapping his head around, breaking his neck. A sickening cracking of Twi’lek cartilage sounded and his Lekku flung out every way as he spun to the floor, dead before his body stopped moving. .

 

The remaining five opened fire and Lendrick back flipped three times to take cover behind some old machinery equipment. Lendrick fellow police officers engaged the rest in a fire fight that took three down.

 

The case with the money was still lying next to the still form of Junta. Lendrick sprinted for it, launching himself into a forward roll, Lendrick scooped the case up, engulfing it in his roll before coming out of the roll and spin kicking the nearest Black sun syndicate member.

 

This one was ready for the kick and partially blocked it. Lendrick followed in with three quick elbow strikes breaking his nose and using the case as a hammer, smacked the pirate over the head, causing him to stagger.

 

The pirate tried to bring his blaster to bear on Lendrick, but again, Lendrick let go of the case and grabbed the pirates right arm which had the blaster in his two and twisting inwards, brought the blaster to bear on the pirate before Lendrick applied pressure to the pirates hand and caused him to blast himself three times in the chest.

 

The smoking remains of the pirate fell away, leaving Lendrick holding his gun.

 

Glancing about Lendrick saw that the remaining pirate had surrendered and was in custody.

 

Picking up the discarded case, Lendrick presented it to his Watch commander.

 

“Successful exchange” Lendrick stated incredulously.

 

“Indeed”. The Watch commander replied.

 

Lendrick looked about, they were well trained and well-armed men, but to Lendrick they all seemed to be standing still. Lendrick shrugged inwardly and put it down to his training. Running his hand through his short brown hair, and rubbing his face, Lendrick thought about what he was going to tell Lilania. She hated anything to do with anything that has violence involved.

 

“At least you are safe, my love…”

 

Outside, a hooded man, stood across the street and to passer-by’s he would not look out of place in the slums. This particular hooded man however watched Lendrick through the double doors as he passed the case to the other police officer.

“I sense it in you. You are strong with the Force. You may be the one.

 

 

”The scowl deepened. “I sense something else too though.”

 

“Fear.”