Jason quickly overheard the police coming.

"Reaper, burst the wall with your Flame Thrower!" he said. Reaper didn't waste any time and burst the wall as they got out of the cantina quickly, avoiding seeing seen.

"Now to find the guy that shot at us."

Ryan stopped his speeder, and tried to unlock the datapad with passwords, then he tried fingerprint unlock, he put the keys over the screen, and he got it.

"Well, let's see, agenda... Ah, it's at the Ithorian Garage, already paid, I'll go get it."

When he arried at the place he entered the garage. An Ithorian came to see him.

"Good day sir, do you have any especific appointment here?" Asked the Ithorian.

"Actually a do." Anwsered Ryan showing him some contents of the datapad.

"Ah, the swoop bike, it's ready, but before I give it to you, may I see the card-key?"

"Sure, here it is."

"Ok, thank you. Now where do you want us to leave the bike?"

"On the Swoop Racing Dome, ok? Thanks."

Then Ryan drove away on his speeder, thinking "Now, I'll just have to win the champinship."

Shadow was out hunting again in the night. Same kind of targets, different objective. He had specifically told Qu'zin not to come out and conceal the bodies. Why? So the creature would follow. Shadow knew that he couldn't hunt down what he couldn't see, so, have it hunt him. And he needed bodies to make a trail.

Shadow had studied about predators every chance he could. He had even gone so far as sneak into the hunting preserve in the upper part of Coruscant. It was made so rich people could have, 'fun', shooting a creature that did not know its environment, was outgunned, and had no chance to win. But the creatures adapted and they had to close it down because of the rising casualties, partly because of his help.

A predator doesn't hunt when it's not hungry. An experienced predator waits for the chance to kill instead of rushing in like an inexperienced one. That time can last for hours. Predators mostly hunt at night. A predator prefers to eat the young and the sick because they are easier to kill, not caring about honor, just to feed itself. And another thing was the evidence about a kill. Everybody expected that there would be stuff thrown everywhere, blood and remains splattered on the walls and such. Predators don't normally leave that much evidence behind. Which made this predator different.

This predator just lived to kill. Shadow could see that and that was going to cause some problems. Mainly because it left a lot of evidence and, unless that body needs a lot of food, being able to eat an entire Hutt and its Gemmorian guard earlier that day.

So as he finished the last target, he found a spot nearby, activated his stealth, and waited.

Qu'zin knew about this creature from his youth, a fireside story to young Geonosians. He had told Shadow all the background he knew on the Pret-qu'a. He told him how when the Geonosians first delved into underground caverns, they incountered the dark creatures, though stories aclaimed that the creatures found, were different from this one. The Al'mia-mook, were a more week race, they were this creatures ancestors, they were more hive like, and had different casts, very similar to Geonosians themselves. And many more fanatical Geonosians believed that they were distantly related, but different because of intellegence, and where they adapted, one underground, the other on the surface.

The Geonosians ancestors were plagued by them, until they discovered tablets from the ages before the great hyperspace war. The Geonosians used what they learned, and fought the Al'mia-mook, destroying all their queens on Geonosis. But after years of true stories becoming myths, myths to legends, legends to fantasy, and child stories, the tablets were forgotten in the sands, to be found again, when the time came.

But other more hidden stories, hidden by the jedi and sith alike, and even the republic, were known to a few, and Qu'zin had learned a couple of stories from one who knew. He learned that an alien race, the Pret'ma, or predators he called them, were in a multi-galaxy wide guerilla war. They fought the Al'mia-mooks, or what the man just called the aliens. Both fought viciously, many planets were destroyed in other galaxies by their fighting. Soon their fighting came to this galaxy, and they didnt expect any advanced species to be in the galaxy. But they were wrong, the Rakatan, were thriving, they had not moved on to galactic conquest though, not yet at least.

Soon the Rakatn encountered both races, and with great effort fought both off. The predators ran off into the reccesses of space before they were totally anihilated. But the aliens fought till the last, and in their last death throws, they adapted to the predator host form, and soon many warriors were created, known to the Geonosians as the Pret-qu'a, or the predalien. The Geonosians had encounted the Pret-qu'a, but they were few in number, but they were known as the toughest of the Al'mia-mook, anyone who could kill one, was haled as a mighty warrior. The Rakatan fought them as well, and succeeded, the aliens were thought to be destroyed, but two of their pretorian or inmature queens survived, one going to Geonosis, one to the outer reaches of space. Where it's predicted they thrived, and started fighting once more with the predators.

All this knowlegde Qu'zin had compiled together, from legends, stories, rumors, and confidecial information. He told Shadow, and also told him not to rely on technology too much against this creature. He said that this creature is powerful, ruthless, smart, and it can adapt faster than any known creature. It wasnt some toy animal to play with, and even natural hunting methods might not work, he also warned him, 'If you have to run, do it, better to lose your pride than your life'.

Qu'zin however did not tell him about similar incounters with these creatures, for there are still some that live on Geonosis, and arena champions are told to go out and kill one. He was lucky to get out of a small nest of Al'mia-mook drones, when he enncountered their, 'guardian', a Pret-qu'a, a massive 8' tall beast. He killed it by falling on his butt, and while doing that the creature lunged at him and landed on his geo. electropole, which was on high, which was just barely enough to catilise the creatures acid blood. He kept this a secret to be told to Shadow...if he lived.

Qu'zin sat mumbling to himself, consealed by ways few know, he watched as the advice he gave Shadow was foresaken. He looked over and thought he saw movement, but it was just a womprat. He looked at Bue-Boe and said in a voice no one but he could hear, "Did I bring my gaderffii Bue-Boe?" the remote chirped a quiet happy 'yes'.

"Good, I can tell Shadow's going to need it," he said with low almost evil tone.

Solidus had been searching for a new target for an hour or two however at this time the streets where we was located, was empty. He soon came across a dead body, he jumped down and took a sniff of the bloody. It had a particular scent to it, Solidus remenbered it as a blaster fire however it was slighty different. Like a sniffer dog, Solidus began to track down other objects that had the same scent. Soon he came across a body, and then another.

Shadow waited. It was all he could do. If he moved too soon, he was dead. If he moved too late, then he might risk losing it. So he waited until he heard a sort of sniffing sound. The creature was curious about the gun powder smell from the gun. Good.

He readied himself to fire and waited, knowing his target was almost here.

Solidus' followed the trail of dead body with the gun powder scent. It wasn't along untill his came across the last body, the same one Shadow was aiming at. Solidus foolish walked right infront of Shadow's aim. With a pull of a trigger, a simple headshot would end the aliens life.

However something startled Solidus. He smelt something different and something which caused Solidus to grew extreme angery. Solidus screeched before a strangh lauging sound was heard.

What the hell? Shadow thought. He was going to pull the trigger after the screech when he heard a laughing sound. Shadow couldn't let his target get away now so he aimed to where the screech was coming from and opened fire in short 3-round bursts for acuracy.

Solidus quickly lunched foward, and rushed up the wall of the nearest building. It carried running upward until he was out of harms way. However something else was hear.

The two has startled when they heard a echoed recording of Shadows voice say "Should we go see what's going on?"

Something else is hunting us, Shadow thought after hearing the recording of his own voice. Shadow had been hunted by Gaias's men before. There was quite a bounty on him. But to have gotten close enough to record his voice without Shadow noticing chilled Shadow.

He knew he had to leave now. There would be another time to hunt the creature.

Ryan entered the Swoop Dome, and there was the Twi'lek from the first time.

"Sir may I ask you some questions?" She asked.

"Sure."

"Is your name Ryan?"

Now Ryan didn't know if he would tell yes or no. He said yes.

"Yes."

"Ah, then the swoop bike that just arrived must be yours. If you want to participate in some friendly races you can to your left and go to the front, just to rest you'll have to go up."

"Ok, thanks."

Ryan walked away, and he went to the quarters, all he feared was tha nunmber of swoop racers there.