The Traveler lifted off, its lights cutting through the dark as it shot upward.
Though two of the pirates' ships had been destroyed, they were just small emergency fighters—not their entire fleet. Not far from here, other ships remained, including their main cruiser.
But by the time they reached them, Amir would be long gone.
"Hahaha, that was fantastic!" Charles stumbled into the cockpit and strapped himself into the co-pilot's seat.
"You got the goods?" Amir asked with well-timed curiosity.
"Of course I did! Twice as much as I expected! We've really hit the jackpot this time!"
"Great. Then it's time you tell me everything you know about that ruin."
"Of course, of course. Let's head to the area first—I'll show you what I found myself."
The Traveler burst out of the rift, but didn't immediately head back in the direction they came from. Instead, it flew an irregular path.
"Don't worry about the pirates," Charles said, noticing Amir's evasive flight pattern. "I took care of their boss. The place must be in total chaos by now."
"Haha, sounds like a successful infiltration to me."
Seeing that no one was pursuing them, Amir adjusted course and began flying straight toward the snowy mountain.
"When I was searching for the spice in the rift," Charles began, "about a few dozen meters down, I saw what looked like a platform carved straight out of the ice. It was huge, recessed into the ice wall—you could land your ship there, no problem. At first, I thought it was another smuggler camp set up for spice harvesting. That's what made me think it might be a prime spot."
"But I was wrong. Apart from some of those slug-things, there was nothing around. Still, that platform had a cave leading deeper in. The entrance was completely sealed with thick ice—I couldn't break through, so I shelved the idea, planning to come back with the right tools."
"Now, I'm pretty sure it's connected to the ruin."
Charles didn't sound like he was lying, so Amir followed the coordinates he gave and flew the Traveler back into the rift—but only a few dozen meters deep this time. They still had some light filtering in from above.
After searching for a while, Amir spotted a large, flat area carved into the ice wall.
"There, that's it," Charles called out.
"Definitely looks like a camp," Amir replied. The platform was clearly man-made, with smooth, level surfaces, ample height, and plenty of space. If you added a few ice shelters, it could easily serve as a base of operations.
But it looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. Icicles hung from the ceiling, and the floor was rough and uneven.
"Go ahead and land—I've been up there. It's safe," Charles instructed.
Without much hesitation, Amir slowly landed the Traveler on the platform.
"You'd better have something to break ice with. It's not just the entrance—the inside is blocked too," Charles said as he unbuckled and stepped out of the cockpit. Amir followed close behind.
BD-4 scampered out of the ship as well, the spider-droid now cleverly hidden on top of its head.
"Stay here, BD-4. I'll be back soon."
Amir headed to the cargo hold and retrieved a high-frequency cutter. The device looked like a spear, and when activated, its tip emitted powerful vibrations that could slice through even the toughest material with ease.
It made for an excellent tool—but it was also a deadly weapon. That vibrating tip could pierce through most armor like butter, and stab straight through a person's body without resistance.
But Amir just saw it as a tool. A bonus? He could save some of the shaved ice and make snow cones with it back on Tatooine—just another way to make life more enjoyable.
With his backpack loaded with a signal jammer, Amir descended from the ship.
He glanced around the strange platform. Aside from the carved-out area, there were no signs of mechanical tools or habitation—no shelters, no tech, nothing.
"There—it's over there, see the cave mouth?" Charles pointed toward a recessed area in the corner.
Amir followed his finger and spotted the entrance—sealed tight with solid ice, but clearly a tunnel that led deeper in.
He stepped forward, ready to start cutting through. But then Charles spoke again, his voice sharp.
"Amir, thanks so much for your help. And thanks for the ice cutter, too."
Amir turned—and saw the barrel of a blaster pistol pointed directly at his forehead.
"Easy, Charles. What is it you want?" Amir raised the ice cutter defensively, eyes fixed on him.
"Haha, what do I want?" Charles took a slow step forward. "I want to survive, Amir. And I want to live well. Thanks to you, I've got that chance now. The spice. Your ship. Everything. Thank you."
"You're a good man, Amir." He was squeezing the trigger now.
But Amir smiled.
Far off on the smooth platform, BD-4 peeked its head out from behind a crate. At the same time, the spider-droid had already climbed up Charles's pant leg.
"Bee-dee-deet!" BD-4 gave the command, and the spider-droid released a net-like electric shock that wrapped around Charles's body.
The surge of high voltage made Charles convulse uncontrollably. The blaster bolt went wildly off-course and scorched the ice beside Amir.
One second later, the current stopped. Charles collapsed flat on the icy platform, his limbs still twitching.
"Ah—A-Amir, how—how did you…" Charles turned his head, trembling. He'd realized too late that Amir had never truly trusted him. What he didn't know was how he had been exposed.
"I heard everything you said to your 'captain,'" Amir replied, slowly approaching, his own blaster drawn.
Amir had never fully believed Charles. When he'd volunteered to infiltrate the pirate base alone, Amir had sent the spider-droid along to listen in—and to ensure its signal wasn't blocked, he'd wired a long connection outside the ship.
Later, Amir transferred partial control of the spider-droid to BD-4. With the signal jammer on Charles, BD-4 could trigger the attack.
And sure enough, once the spice was secured, Charles made his move. It was predictable.
People always get greedy when the goal is in sight. Charles had figured that, after showing Amir the platform and cave, he'd drop his guard completely. In that moment of desperation, Amir would slip—and Charles would strike.
When Amir bent down to break the ice, Charles thought his chance had come.
Kill Amir. Take the ship. Escape with the spice. And maybe loot some ancient treasure from the ruin too.
In that moment, everything looked perfect.
But it all ended with Amir's plan instead.
"Heh... heh heh heh..." Charles gave a broken laugh. "S-S-Surely you'll... spare me, r-right? After all, I did help you…"
For the first time, Amir hesitated.
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