Chapter XV – The stories he could tell; so many of them true

The world on which they arrived was unlike anything Anakin had ever seen, and he was certain that Loki and Doctor Doom were feeling the same thing. All around them was barren desert land, lit by a binary sun, which gave the world an even more alien appearance. Wherever they were, it wasn’t the same place they had left behind, planet Earth was nowhere close.

“This world really is remarkable,” Anakin said, trying to ignore the heat, “Where do you suppose we are?”

“Not Earth, that is for sure,” Loki said. 

“The Stargate has the ability to transport us across worlds but also space,” Doctor Doom stated, “It is no surprise that we could end up in a galaxy far, far away.”

“Perhaps we should find someplace inhabited first,” Loki suggested, “Whatever it is we’re supposed to find here, we’re certainly not going to find it in this vast desert.” 

“Agreed,” Doctor Doom said, and focused his gaze on the eastern direction, “My armor’s internal sensors are detecting a small settlement in that direction. Let’s start from there.”

They started walking in eastern direction and it took a little over two hours before they reached the small settlement, which was little more than a few houses and some sort of public gathering place. There was an enforced dirt road running next to it though, indicating that this establishment, remote as it were, was frequently inhabited by travelers, probably a halfway destination between two larger cities or hubs.
Even though they clearly weren’t from around there, the locals paid them little attention. Maybe they didn’t stand out from other locals after all, most seemed to be human; or these people were used to uncommon travelers, which could mean a lot of things.

“Let’s visit that meeting place,” Anakin suggested, “Maybe we’ll learn something from any other visitors, or the barman; and we could all use a drink, I’m sure.”

“Doom needs no refreshments,” Doctor Doom protested, “But I agree with your proposal.”

The bar however was all but abandoned, apart from a few of the locals, who were hardly discussing anything interesting, instead talking about the local weather predictions (spoiler: lots of sunshine) and the behavior of the planet’s natives. This went on for about an hour, and just as Doctor Doom was about to suggest they’d leave, another one of the locals walked in: “Did you hear?! Ohnaka’s back in town!”

“You say that like that’s a good thing,” one of the locals at the bar groaned, “Nothing good ever comes of it when he returns.”

“You hear that?” Anakin whispered to the others, “Sounds like something is happening after all. I wonder who this Ohnaka is.”

“Probably some local thug,” Loki whispered back, “I doubt we’ll get anything useful from that. Let’s pack up and get going.”

“Nothing wrong with trying,” Anakin whispered.

“Let’s just ignore him this time,” one of the guys at the bar said, “Eventually he’ll go away again.”

“You say that like he’s some sort of deal,” Anakin interrupted, getting the attention of the rest of the bar, “Just who is this Ohnaka anyway?”

“A thug, a criminal, a pirate,” another said, “A swindler in every sense of the word. You outsiders probably don’t know about him, but around here he’s infamous.”

“Best stay away from him,” another bar patron said, before returning to his original conversation.

“Thank you,” Anakin said, “We’ll consider that!”

The group packed their belongings shortly after and left the establishment, gathering just outside to discuss their next move. “You heard that?” Anakin said, “A local swindler of some reputation; that sounds like something worth checking out.”

“Just because we’re looking for a swindler, it doesn’t automatically mean that this is our guy,” Loki protested, “Take it from me, there are a lot of corrupt people out there; and pirates are notably the worst.”

“Space pirates,” Anakin corrected; he even sounded a little giddy. 

“Same difference, but in space,” Loki said.

“It is a poor lead, but also our only lead,” Doctor Doom said, “So let’s pursue it anyway. Even if this Ohnaka isn’t the one we’re looking for, he might be of assistance; figures of repute in the underworld usually rely on an extensive network for their information and communication; he might be able to help us find who we’re looking for.”

“All right, fine,” Loki sighed, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you when things get out of hand.”

Following the directions of some of the townsfolk, they got on board of some transport vehicle which brought them to a larger city in the vicinity, Mos Doba; the city was a fortified one, yet despite this imposing exterior, it was poorly guarded, and Doctor Doom judged it ripe for the taking by any mercenary gang looking to make a name for themselves. With such sparse security it was no wonder that it had become a den for thieves and pirates. Despite the lack of official security, the pirate group that had made its base in Mos Doba had some lookouts on the wall, so Doctor Doom was certain their entry into the city wouldn’t go unnoticed. He wondered how long it would take before the pirates would decide to confront them.

It didn’t take very long.

As they made their way through Mos Doba’s main street, Loki began to notice that the street was becoming less and less crowded, and at a busy time of day that was seldom a good thing. Then several rowdy looking humanoids and aliens stepped out onto the street from various alleyways, blocking their path: “Welcome to Mos Doba, strangers,” one of them greeted. Somehow, Loki didn’t feel very welcome.

Caution might be advisory in such a situation. However Doctor Doom already stepped forward to address the group: “You stand in the path of Doom; have you come to offer tribute?

The group of pirate thugs was silent for a moment, looking at each other in confusion as Doom’s words sank in; then they all burst into laughter simultaneously. Doctor Doom did not laugh. Nor did he respond.
The group of thugs moved aside to let one of them step forward; this one wasn’t remarkably more buff or taller than the others, but somehow the air around him felt different, stronger in a unique non odorous way. Anakin gauged him from head to toe, trying to establish what kind of figure this was, but he couldn’t really gauge him. He was about the same height as Anakin and clearly humanoid, but his body was different, more alien, with a leathery, darker skin and small horns growing from his lower jaw. He was wearing a long red coat and what seemed like some sort of infantry helmet and goggles that provided shade and protection to his eyes. “Well, well, what do we have here?” the apparent leader said, raising his arms and greeting them in an overly dramatic and loud manner, “Guests to our fair town of Mos Doba? How rude of us to block your passage!”

“Your rudeness is forgiven,” Doctor Doom replied, “If you remove yourselves from my sights right now.”

“But of course, of course oh traveler,” the pirate replied, “We’ll move out of the way right away; there’s just the matter of compensation.”

“I very much doubt that,” Doctor Doom replied, slowly clenching his hand into a fist but not raising it just yet. 

“Oh, but there is, good sir,” the pirate went on, “You see, my boys here were simply being polite and welcoming some travelers to the impressive city of Mos Doba. However instead of being received with kindness, you were most impolite, even rude, towards them. And that has really upset them, as you can see.”

The pirates pretended to be upset. Poorly.

“Yes,” the pirate went on, “Therapy for this lot is going to cost a bundle, trust me; and who will pay for that? As the cause of their misery, it’s only fair that you take responsibility for just that.”

“Pirates,” Loki grumbled, just loud enough that only his comrades could hear.

“You have got to be joking,” Doctor Doom replied, taking another step towards the dastardly but bold pirate chief, “I will fix it so that therapy is the least of your boys’ problems.”

“Now, now,” the pirate replied, flicking his finger, while the other pirates drew and raised all sorts of firearms, “Before you do anything rash, better check the rooftops first.”

Doom looked up and saw even more guns and rifles pointed at them from various rooftops, behind them as well. They were in quite a proverbial pickle. “Why we were getting acquainted, my men were so kind as to get into position and surround you,” the pirate went on, “I’d like to thank you for cooperating so nicely and allowing me to keep you distracted, just as I will thank you for cooperating and handing over your valuables.”

“Let me guess,” Loki glared, “Compensation?”

“Oh no, no,” the pirate corrected, “That was before; this is simply because we’re pirates. We steal.”

“You should have brought more men,” Doctor Doom replied, glaring from behind his mask and not backing off just yet. 

“Should I now?” the pirate said, and laughed, gesturing at his men and pointing at Doctor Doom, “You hear that? Maybe we should have brought everyone. I really underestimated this one, boys. Don’t you think?”

The group laughed again, mocking Doctor Doom and his companions. 

“I like you, armored man,” the pirate said, “Tell me your name, so that I may tell your stories to my grandchildren someday.”

“Doctor Victor von Doom,” Doctor Doom replied.

“A pleasure,” the pirate said, then made a deep mock bow, “Hondo Ohnaka, at your service. Or disservice, if you so prefer.”

Hondo

“Ohnaka,” Anakin whispered, “That’s the one we’re looking for.”

“What’s that, boy?” Hondo asked, “Anything you want to share with the group? It’s not polite to whisper, you know; also not a very sensible thing to do with a bunch of trigger happy and not always sober pirates.”

“We know about you,” Anakin said.

“Well, I do have a bit of a reputation I pride myself with,” Hondo replied.

“No, I mean: We’re looking for you,” Anakin explained, “We have business with you.”

“Business? With me?” Hondo repeated, with an overly extensive display of body language, “Tell me, boy; this business, it does not involve the law or bounty hunting, I hope?”

“No, none of that,” Anakin answered, “We require your assistance.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so right away,” Hondo said, raising his arms again and stepping away from the group of his pirate companions, approaching Doctor Doom, who was still highly on edge, “Boys! Weapons down! We’re not doing the looting today; well, not right now at least; no, it’s time for business!”

The pirates cheered, and the atmosphere seemed to become somewhat less tense.

“I do hope you know what you’re doing, boy,” Doctor Doom spoke softly.

“Improving our odds,” Anakin spoke back, “Besides, maybe this Ohnaka guy can help us after all. It’s worth seeing what he knows, right?”

“Let’s go,” Hondo said, turning around, “Take our guests back with us to our headquarters slash bar; but make sure they’re unarmed, I wouldn’t want any backstabbing to happen, unless I am the one doing the proverbial stabbing.”

The pirates on the roof retreated and the other accompanied Hondo and the group of travelers to a large saloon in the middle of Mos Doba. The saloon had obviously been modified to be the pirates’ base of operations, with reinforcements everywhere, and extra men stationed on the roof to keep an eye out; but at the same time it seemed just as casual as any other saloon, the atmosphere was quite good when they walked in. 

“Step into my office,” Hondo grinned, gesturing at a large round table in the corner of the saloon yet close to the bar. He dropped himself in one of the chairs, leaning back and placing one foot on the table, “Where I do the best of my business!” 

“A fine station for a fine man,” Loki complimented, “Perhaps I misjudged you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, my friend,” Hondo smiled, “Well, all right, maybe it’ll get you partially along the way; but Hondo’s deals aren’t made on friendship alone.”

“No doubt they are costly as well,” Doctor Doom guessed.

Hondo shrugged: “Hey, I am good to my friends; but in the end business is, after all, business.”

“We’re looking for information,” Anakin began to explain, “Where we come from, this place is plagued by a powerful enemy; and we’re looking for someone who can help us find the means to stop them.”

“And do you know what you’re looking for, this item?” Hondo asked.

Anakin shook his head: “We don’t know.”

“Then do you know the person who can help you? Who does know?”

Anakin shook his head again.

“This sounds complicated, and therefore expensive,” Hondo smiled, leaning back into his chair again, “Excellent! My favorite type of transactions!”

“The swindler speaks,” Loki commented, glaring at the smug pirate, “But can he deliver?”

“Ah, the trickster of the group challenges me,” Hondo smirked, “But don’t worry, I am a man with a sense of humor; and I will show you just how I deliver.”

“That remains to be seen,” Loki spat back.

“So young man,” Hondo addressed Anakin, pretty much ignoring Loki, “Tell me more about this situation of yours; what do you need help for, hmm?” 

Anakin proceeded to explain the situation, telling about where they were from, though he explained it as another world, another planet, rather than introducing these pirates to the whole multiverse concept; he didn’t want them to know about it, at least not yet, and he also didn’t want to risk not being taken seriously. He told them of the threat of Venger and the mission they had to find some sort of object, the only thing that might be able to stop Venger. Oddly enough, Hondo’s cheerful and carefree attitude had all but subsided, and when Anakin went on, he was listening in all earnest and with his full attention. “I see,” he finally said, “That’s quite the predicament, young man.”

“And we’re not in the mood for any games,” Loki warned.

“Understandable,” Hondo replied, “But don’t worry; I have taken an interest in all of this, and I believe old Hondo can help.”

“You really think so?” Anakin asked, “We’re looking for someone who can help us find the item we seek. You think you know who can help us?”

“I do believe I can,” Hondo said, “But why not cut out the middle man? I believe I can help you get the object you seek.”

“That sounds a bit too good to be true,” Doctor Doom interrupted, “And why this sudden charitable attitude? Why are you so helpful?”

“Because of what you said to me, your honesty; and mostly because of the person involved,” Hondo said, “You see: I know Venger.”

He paused. For drama.

“He is my best friend.”