"Clang!" A glass of alcohol crashes onto the smooth floor, followed by angry shouts from upstairs.
"It exploded?! That damn insect! How dare it!" Blue-haired Lensis Copet paced angrily around the room.
His bodyguards had never seen him act so out of control. He was always calm and composed in any situation, yet he had now lost his composure over a single piece of news.
"Where is it? Where is that thing?" Suddenly remembering something, he grabbed the tentacle head of Senir, who was trying to bury his head in his chest hair.
"I don't know. I only know that the box exploded and everyone present was reduced to charcoal," Senir said, keeping his head down. "Maybe there was only a bomb in the box, and the item is still with Fronis. Maybe he wanted to keep it for himself and sent his men to deliver a fake."
"Fronis has no idea of its value. It can only reach its full potential in the hands of the Empire. I, the one who 'accidentally' discovered it, could have become a powerful figure in Coruscant. You wouldn't have to live like a maggot, surviving on excrement. But now everything is ruined!" Lensis nearly pressed his eyes against Senir's scalp; his face was distorted, resembling a twisted volcano.
He shoved Senir violently, flinging his tentacle-covered face aside. Then he continued pacing with his head bowed in thought.
"Go tell the Empire that Fronis's men were behind today's explosion. Don't reveal our connection, or you'll die." Lensis reached out and grabbed the hood on Senir's back. He pulled it tightly over Senir's head.
"Yes! Yes!" Senir shook his long tentacles and nodded vigorously. Then he quickly walked out of the building, leaving behind a hunched figure that melted into the streets of Coruscant.
At Veronica's residence, four people and a robot gathered.
"Jax was only hit by the shockwave. He's fine. He'll be okay after resting for a while," Veronica said as she laid Jax on the bed.
Lango stood by the window, watching outside; his green face was covered in dirt.
Amir sat cross-legged on the ground, leaning against the sofa and staring at BD in front of him.
"You should explain what happened," Amir said seriously. This time, they had nearly been wiped out.
The vision he had seen before the explosion seemed more like a premonition of the future than an illusion. Seeing everyone die before his eyes, coupled with Veronica's desperate sobs, had deeply affected him.
It was all the fault of the man in the trench coat. A simple transaction had ended in such a disastrous manner due to this unexpected factor, and it was clear that BD had a deep connection with the man in the trench coat.
"Beep—zzz—"
The holographic projector on the right side of BD's head activated and a man in a trench coat appeared before them.
Veronica sat down, and Lango turned around to look at the projection. Both of them frowned.
This was the mastermind behind the chaos—the man in the trench coat. Suddenly, he spoke.
"I was once a maintenance worker for the Empire. But the Empire destroyed everything I had until my friends and I discovered this," he said, holding up a rectangular block, which was a holographic projector. It contains a database of the Republic with information about its hidden bases, research facilities, and ruins. We planned to hand it over to the Empire in exchange for a reward."
"The Empire took this matter more seriously than I expected. A man in black armor arrived with many agents to make the exchange.
"My friend was killed by a red lightsaber during the negotiations, and I escaped by hiding in the shadows."
He spoke calmly, but Amir could sense his pain.
"After that, I gave the device to a robot and had it dumped in the scrap yard. Then, I destroyed the robot, so I don't know where the hologram is. I can't find it myself, and even if the Empire captures me, they won't be able to get it."
"But one day, a woman claiming to be a member of the Resistance appeared. She followed the clues to find me and asked about the hologram. She said they were fighting against the Empire, and I immediately expressed my desire to join them."
"I told her about hiding the hologram, but she didn't ask any further questions. However, I sensed that this object was important. So, every day after work, I searched for the hologram I had hidden in the scrapyard, accompanied by my robot BD-4."
"Gradually, I became busier and had little time to focus on this matter. Later, I was assigned to handle intelligence work for the Rebel Alliance in Coruscant"
"Two years ago, I was assigned to another mission. During that time, BD-4 found the hologram, but Fronis stole it. When I returned, I infiltrated his group and became his subordinate. Over the past two years, Fronis has amassed a fortune by exploring several locations."
"Until recently, he discovered the Black Sun's gathering point. He's very ambitious and wants to seize power within the now chaotic Black Sun organization."
"So he sent me to trade the hologram for an invitation. My Rebel allies discovered Imperial activity, but we couldn't contact our contact point, and the Rebel intelligence network suddenly vanished."
"Until yesterday, my comrades were discovered by the Empire."
"I've also been targeted. The Empire must have found out about the hologram."
"I've been drawn into the vortex and can't escape. I'll place the hologram device in BD-4 on my way to the transaction, then disappear with this message."
"If you find this recording, please hand the hologram device over to the 'contact point.' I'll be eternally grateful."
The projection ended, and the group fell silent. It seemed this matter was more complicated than they had imagined.
Amir looked at BD-4, patted its head, and said, "Don't worry. We won't hand you over to the Empire. Whatever you found is yours to keep."
For some reason, BD-4 showed him unwavering trust.
Amir wouldn't betray that trust. Even without this story, he wouldn't hand the hologram device over to the Empire. Veronica and the others had never objected to his decisions.
With the explosion, all the clues had been destroyed. As long as they stayed quiet, this matter would no longer concern them.
All they had to do was wait for the rebels to come and hand over the holographic recorder, and their mission would be complete.
"Beep. Beep. Beep." Veronica's communicator beeped. It was a Kuarun with a squid-like head.
"It's Senir." Veronica looked at Amir.
Amir took the communicator, stepped aside, and pressed the answer button.
"Veronica, huh? It's been a while, Amir. I heard you joined the army. Are you here to arrest me this time? Haha." The Quaronian adopted his usual friendly demeanor with a hint of flattery.
"While I was away, you tricked my friend into his death. Is that your response?" Amir adopted an angry expression. "If we hadn't tracked down the location of that thing, we would have been the ones to die!"
"I'll double the reward money and send it over immediately."
Senir smiled awkwardly, but there was no trace of apology in his eyes. "Did you find anything else? Like, what was in the box?"
"Hmph. We didn't even see the box. First, a smoke bomb went off, and then the box disappeared. Then, we heard an explosion. If you want to know what was in it, dig through the ruins yourself." Amir tried to deceive Senir half-heartedly.
"Hehe, as long as you're safe, more work will come your way. The bounty hunters who went this time were either captured or killed, leaving only you guys behind."
"That's really helpful. Send the money over quickly. Goodbye." Amir hung up the phone without another word.
"Something's off about Senir," he said, sitting back down and pondering Senir's true intentions.