Star Wars_ I, Jedi - Michael A. Stackpole [168]
Remart and his flightmates stood in the center of the clearing, with a semicircle of Caamasi looking on with horror in their wide, dark eyes. A landspeeder rested on the ground between most of the Caamasi and my people, with two dead Thalassians still seated in it. A third Thalassian, the driver, lay on the ground. Across from him lay a Caamasi who had risen up on one elbow, with his left arm held up to ward off a blow from Remart. Behind that Caamasi crouched another Caamasi, smaller and finer-boned. I guessed she was a female and perhaps even an adolescent because of the slight swell of down-covered breasts. The purple markings on the face and shoulders of both Caamasi were similar enough that I assumed some sort of blood relation between them.
“Report, Sasyru!” I put a lot of venom and all the command I could muster into my voice. “Now! Report!”
Remart’s head came up and he came around to face me. His flightmates spread out, each one of them fingering the blaster carbines they wore slung over their shoulders or across their bellies. I looked at each one of them, but they didn’t hold my gaze very long. When I looked at Remart, he smiled confidently.
“Situation is under control, Captain. It doesn’t concern you.”
I continued trotting forward. “Is that so?” I glanced at the downed Caamasi and saw a dark dribble of blood from one of his nostrils. I gave him a quick nod, then narrowed my eyes. “Explain to me what is going on here.”
“I said it was none of your concern.”
“Noted. Make it my concern.” As I approached them I slowed and noticed a couple of details I’d missed from further out. The dead driver had spilled a satchel of jewelry when he went down. I’d never seen Caamasi metal-work before, and the silver and gold pieces lying there were utterly unlike anything I’d ever looked at. I had no reason to suspect the slaver had brought the jewelry with him for trading purposes. Since none of the Caamasi I could see were wearing anything beyond sandals and a kilt-like garment, my assumption was that the Thalassians had been looting this small neighborhood when Remart and his people happened upon them and killed them.
Remart’s face closed up. “We found the Thalassians here. They resisted and attacked us and, as per regulations, we killed them. End of report.”
I nodded at the Caamasi on the ground. “What happened to him?”
“He struck me, so I hit him back.”
I frowned. “What sort of sithspawn reason did you have for being out here anyway?”
The man smiled slyly and I saw his friends begin to grin, too. “I was shopping for something for the admiral.”
“So you thought you’d just come along and loot a house or two, but you found the Thalassians here already. You killed them and you decided to take their swag.” I stared at him, incredulous. “And this Caamasi didn’t want to give it up, right?”
“We just wanted him to share.”
“Sure, but the only thing you know about sharing comes under the heading ‘communicable disease.’ ” I frowned. “What made you think you had any right to that jewelry?”
Remart looked at me as if I were stupid. “We’re pirates. We take stuff like jewelry.”
“Right, but all the stuff we take goes into a communal pool and is split up later. You know that.” I shook my head. “Just because Admiral Tavira has lost her mind doesn’t mean rules no longer apply to you.”
“Oh, really?”
I nodded. “Really.”
“Good, then. I’ll apply some rules.” He brought his blaster carbine up and pointed it at the Caamasi male he’d hit. “This one hit me. He was resisting, so I get to kill him.”
“Nope.”
“No?” Remart’s eyes narrowed. “Being selective about regulations now, aren’t you, Captain?”
“Hardly.” I pointed at the Caamasi with my left hand. “He’s mine. You can’t kill him.”
The pilot frowned. “He’s yours?”
“Right. I need a bodyservant, and I want him to fulfill that role. You can’t kill him.” I watched Remart’s anger rise to his face. “And that