Wandering Cowboys

[Ettagar Veir]

Empress Teta – TaggeCo Amenities Complex

The old man was very much ignored by the populace as the complex closed. A security guard, doing a quick walk-around before much of the place closed for the night. The upper levels did, anyway. It was to these that he made his way.

He smiled at the stuffed nerf toy he held in his hand, and set it on the railing overlooking the deserted part of the complex. He laughed to himself.

“Let’s see them ignore this.”

He walked away.

Making it to the escalator, he watched the steadily dwindling crowd head for the doors. Something settled on his shoulder.

“Ye fergot somethin’,” a voice said behind him.

“Eh?” a chill ran down his spine as he saw the stuffed nerf. His eyes travelled up to see a messy haired man wearing a worn, but still clean looking suit, and pair of shades. “Now, uh, why would an old fart like me have a toy? I don’t have any kids either, so it can’t be mine.”

The man with shades shrugged. “Oh? Well, sorry.”

He placed the nerf on the railing and the man watched it as it disappeared from view; falling off on the upper level at the top.

“Ye look like ye need a drink, Nerf Bomber.”

“I wouldn’t take anything from you, Ettagar Veir.”

Ettagar grinned, and stood straight, obviously chuffed. “Ye know me?”

“Of course I do. I’ve kept my sensors in space you know; my connections didn’t want to sell to me because of the chances that the Veir brothers or the Pesche brothers would get in on this. No one wants to get caught by you.”

“Pesche brothers?” he shook his head. “Well I think ‘tis about taim I took ye te prison. Don’ cause too much ovva fuss now, ey?”

“Can’t do that,” the old man said, another unhinged grin coming to his face. “I’ve still got work to do.”

He jumped off the escalator the short distance to the floor and started running. He looked back, and seeing that Ettagar was not following him, he pulled the detonator out from his coat pocket and pressed it, sliding behind a pillar and crouching down. After a few seconds with no ‘boom’, he looked at the device in consternation.

[Ettagar Veir]

“I love the firewarks meself, I truly do,” Ettagar’s all-too-familiar voice sounded. “But I’ve been warn’d tha’ too much damage doesn’t reflect well on me and me brother.”

The Nerf Bomber looked up to see Ettagar Veir standing with a large grin on his face, tossing a piece of the bomb up and catching with idly. He burned with anger.

“You can’t stop me. I’ve got more than one bomb around this place!” he threw open his jacket to show a number of other detonators hidden inside.

Ettagar eyed the man for a moment.

“Ye’ll die too,” he said. That many bombs could bring down the whole building on top of them. The Bomber laughed.

“No one lives forever, Veir,” he spat. Ettagar pulled out his blaster, aiming it carefully at a part not covered with detonators.

Suddenly, the ground beside the Bomber exploded, causing both men to cover their eyes.

“Freeze, Nerf Bomber.”

Ettagar opened his eyes, to see a blaster pointed right in his face by a man with a light moustache and slicked back black hair, wearing a maintenance workers’ uniform. He glared at the man.

“ME? What are ye, some sort o’ fool? That’s th’ Bomber, there!” the man turned to look at the Bomber, who was staring at them with fearful surprise.

“Mario Pesche...” the Bomber murmured quietly.

“Him?” Mario Pesche asked. “He’s a security guard.”

“Look at his face!” Ettagar hissed. Mario smirked.

“Too easy to fake faces nowadays.”

The Bomber grinned wildly and took off through the hole Pesche had created in the wall.

“Damn it, he’s gettin’ away!” He started to chase after the man, but Mario extended his leg and tripped the bounty hunter.

“You’re not goin’ anywhere, Nerf Bomber,” Mario said calmly. Ettagar almost literally choked on his anger.

“You’ll all see!” the real Bomber called, and opening his jacket, he pressed the buttons to as many detonators as he could. Explosions could be heard from the higher levels, and the ground began to shake.

[Ettagar Veir]

Mario and Ettagar watched the Bomber run.

“Well, shit.” Mario said.

“I told you!” Ettagar jumped up and began to run after the Bomber again, but this time, he was hit by a speeder.

“Whoops! Sorry there friend!” another man said. A bit taller than ‘Mario’, this one looked almost identical to the other, with a moustache and slicked back black hair. He was also wearing a maintenance worker’s uniform.

“Luigi! Let’s go, the Bomber’s getting away!” Mario jumped into the speeder and the two of them sped away, leaving Ettagar groaning on the ground while the TaggeCo complex crumbled behind him.

One hour later...

Ettagar glared. “Et’s true, Fid. Two maint’nance werkers, a speeder, and stuffed nerf doll.”

Ettagar had managed to leave the scene before the stormtroopers and other various security agencies could arrive, though just barely. He was leaning back on the bed of their rented hotel room; it was too bad good ships cost money, because they needed one badly.

The marginally younger Veir boy winced a bit as the bandages settled on some abrasions. They hadn’t had the money for a full on bacta treatment, and the injuries weren’t that severe.

“I almost had ‘im.”