RECRUITMENT
Cad Bane climbed out of the rubble that had resulted from Luke Skywalker's escape. Looking around, he saw that the Hutt Castle was in ruins, and many of its denizens were either dead or on the brink of dying.
Among the casualties, he saw Gorga the Hutt, who's slime was splattered across the walls. Gorga's idiotic major domo, Skwid-Word, had been flattened by the rubble, as well as the Snatchers Kanaj, Kerran Khan, and Jahlan. Nearby, Bane saw the surviving Snatchers-Zuckuss, Embo, 4-LOM, and Kale Karsa-getting to their feet, dazed by what had happened.
The Duros mercenary scowled. Twice now had Skywalker beaten them, just like his father had done countless times before. And now this second defeat had reduced their numbers even further. First Dem Hazon and Smarty resigned two years ago, after finding better money from the Republic, then their boss Dan'Wal was killed by a rivaling organization, and now three others had died.
Bane had to find replacements for these losses before he could extract any sort of vengeance on Skywalker. Luckily, he already had a few candidates in mind...and he knew the perfect place to find one of them.
* * *
Nar Shaddaa. One of the five moons of Nal Hutta, homeworld and capital of the Hutts and their criminal organizations. Its role in finding bounty hunters, pirates, and the like was pretty self-explanatory.
The streets of Nar Shaddaa were just smelly, dirty, and nasty as their residents. Even Bane found it disgusting. Thankfully, it was not the streets that his first candidate for the Snatchers was. Instead, it was a small cantina owned by Zargga the Hutt.
Bane walked into the cantina, finding smugglers and mercenaries in all sorts of shapes and sizes. However, it did not take the Duros Snatcher long to find the person he was looking for. Sitting in solitary in a tight corner was the infamous Trandoshan hunter known as Bossk, son of Cardossk, who was former leader of the Bounty Hunters' Guild.
Bane casually walked up to Bossk's booth and slid into the seat opposite of the Trandoshan. The reptilian-like alien narrowed his bloodshot eyes at him. "Hello, Bane..." he hissed. "What can I do for you?"
"I'm recruiting more Snatchers," Bane said, jumping to the point. "We have suffered a few...losses recently."
A fork-shaped tongue slithered out of Bossk's mouth. "I thought recruiting wasss the Bossess job."
"I am the Boss now," Bane snapped. "Dan'Wal was killed a year ago. We worked for Gorga the Hutt for a time after that, but let's just say...he's no longer a client now."
"I sssee," Bossk said. "Sso, you sssay you want me to join the Sssnatchersss?"
"I didn't say-"
"But why else would you come to me?" asked the Trandoshan. "You can forget it. I'm not interested."
"Why not?" Bane asked. "Is there something holding you back? Are you working for someone else?"
Bossk's eyes darted across the room. "Not...really..."
"Then there's no reason to decline my offer," Bane said. "We hunt for big name people, so there's lots of credits involved. Even more if you agree to be my deputy."
This caught Bossk's attention. "Deputy?" he echoed. "now you're talking." He extended a slimy hand to Bane, who shook it slightly reluctantly.
"Glad we can have you."
* * *
Shapeshifters made very good bounty hunters, being able to take any shape or form, which they could use for infiltration.
Bane had known a shapeshifter once in his career: a Clawdite known as Cato Parasiti. She and Bane were both hired by Darth Sidious to find a Jedi holocron. They failed in their mission, however, and both he and Cato were taken into Republic custody. Bane never saw her after that. During their short partnership, Cato had mentioned a sister of hers, named Kyta, who had made a name for herself in the lower cities of Taris.
Bane and Zuckuss, who had been to Taris before and knew its lower city well, traveled through the sewer-like underworld. The smell of dead, rotting rodents made Bane want to hurl. Zuckuss, of course, could not smell it with his specialized breathing gear on.
They eventually reached a cantina, which Bane supposed was their best chance in finding Kyta Parasiti. Setting foot inside the cantina, however, made him realized how wrong he was. There were dozens of patrons inside, none of them seeming to be a Clawdite, who would naturally be under the guise of another species. It would be impossible to find her....
Suddenly, Bane heard the sound of a blaster shot coming from a nearby room. Many people ran past him as a slender, humanoid figure, dressed in light-combat armor, came out of the room, wielding a large blaster rifle.
Bane smirked. Yes, he thought. Defiantly Cato's sister.
He gave Zuckuss the signal the two had planned for a case like this, and the Gand dropped a spherical object to the floor. It exploded in green smoke, blinding everyone but Bane, who apprehended Kyta and dragged her out of the cantina, ignoring her ear-piercing, blood-curling shrieks.
Once Bane, Zuckuss, and Kyta were out of the pub, the Clawdite released herself from Bane's grip and lashed out with a kick in the head, knocking him to the ground.
"I know you!" Kyta shrieked, lifting up her battle mask. "Yer one of them Snatchers, ain't you?!"
"Indeed," Bane muttered, getting back to his feet. "Zuckuss and I are here to offer you a position in our-"
"Forget it!" Kyta snapped. "I'm not joinin' you monsters after what you did to Manny!"
"Ah, yes. Manier Vemson," Zuckuss murmured. "A good friend. Shame the old Boss killed him."
Kyta seemed to be on the brink of a breakdown, her eyes filled with rage. "If I could just kill the Boss for what he did...I'd be a happy as a-"
"No need for that," Bane said. "The old Boss is dead."
Kyta's expression suddenly became one of apathy. "Really? Well then...I guess...with him gone...I'll join you folks then."
Bane exchanged surprised glances with Zuckuss, both being shocked by this sudden mood swing. "That's...good to hear," Bane said. "Meet us on Nal Hutta in a week. Got it?"
Kyta nodded as she and the two Snatchers parted ways.
* * *
Over the following days, Bane continued finding replacements for the deceased Snatchers, as well as additional members. On Corellia, Bane found a new pilot for their ship, the Halo: Alor Onab, who was an accomplice of fellow Corellian Dengar, and who claimed to be Han Solo's match in the flying records.
Meanwhile, the Jedi hunter Tarr-Nar convinced his oft-partner Naaro Viin to join. Viin was an Iktotchi, who, like Tarr-Nar, was specialized in hunting Jedi, and was also a skilled telepath. On Ord Mantell, Embo had found a snake-like alien known as Ran-Dal, who was well-known for mischief.
Soon, all of the Snatchers were gathered together at their hideout on Nal Hutta. Bane observed each member keenly. The savage Bossk, the clever Zuckuss, his loyal companion 4-LOM, the dim-witted Dengar, the luminous Embo, the wild Kyta, the calm Karsa, the mischievous Ran-Dal, the smug Alor Onab, the cold-hearted Tarr-Nal, and the contemplative Naaro Viin.
After a long moment of silence, Bane spoke. "So...shall we begin?
THE END
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