When they had joined up
with Jace, they exchanged stories on the way to Ryvo's apartment. Jace had gone
to the office of the prefect-commissioner and one of Ryvo’s paternal uncles,
Brettu Lorell. Jace had reported that after "arranging" an impromptu
meeting with the local politician, he had learned that Brettu didn't care for,
maybe even harbored ill will, for Ryvo Lorell. Apparently, Ryvo had supplied
false information to the planetary government that implicated Brettu's two sons
in a local spice-selling ring. Not only that, but he had constantly harassed
Brettu's position of power with propaganda and public vocalization, both
bordering on libel and slander, respectively. Jace had determined that the man
was telling the truth and that he was of no use as ransom. He did tell Jace
that Ryvo's parents probably still lived on Celalon, so that was something.
Jace had grimaced at
some parts of the two women’s story but had been satisfied, if not downright
enthusiastic, with the results. With Jace, it was so difficult to tell.
Making it into the
apartment was easy enough, as the door was secured by a simple lock. All three
Sith had agreed that they were being watched, and had discovered an overcurious
neighbor, who was promptly rid of by Force suggestion. It struck Skate that
impeding a nosy neighbor was a skill millions of beings in the galaxy envied,
and it made her feel lucky to posses it.
It appeared as if the
apartment had been burglarized, with the thieves leaving nothing of value
behind, save for a few pieces of plush furniture. Toiletries, cooking articles
and some foodstuffs were the only things left. The only bedroom had been
stripped of everything save for the bed. A closet in the refresher only held
bath towels.
"He cleared the
place out in a hurry," Skate observed.
"No shit,
Olie," Jen said. "Judging from the dates on this food, he didn't do
it too long ago, either. Four days, give or take."
"So he knew someone
was coming," Jace said, going through a drawer in the kitchen. "But
how?"
"I don't
know," Jen answered, shaking her head.
Skate noticed something
shiny on the floor near the bar that bordered the kitchen. She knelt down and
moved a stool to get to the object. It was made out of what looked to be pure
silver, and was shaped in a rounded, triangular form with a short piece jutting
out from one point. After turning it over in her hands a few times, she
realized that it was a fancy bottle opener.
"Find something,
Skate?" Jen asked.
"No. Just a bottle
opener."
"I wonder if he
made it in shop class," Jen said dryly.
"Look at
this," Jace said, holding up a small, rectangular piece of flimsi.
"Membership card for some kind of club. Doesn't indicate if it's local. We
can take it back to the SSD and run a check. In fact, let's load up all
this stuff." He tossed each woman one of several large plastic bags he had
found in a drawer. "Maybe it can be examined for clues."
Skate started loading up
her bag with drawer contents, but slipped the bottle opener in her pocket. It
was to be a reminder of what Ryvo Lorell had done, and what had to be done
about it.
"The planetary
infonet has information on the Vetter system that doesn't even resemble that of
the SSD's databanks." Thunder punched a few buttons on her datapad.
"Information sent to your datapads."
Skate brought up the
information and took a look at it.
Region: Outer Rim Territories |
Sector: Mela |
Moff: Normons Milay |
Governor: None |
System Name: Vetter |
Star Name: Vetter |
Star Type: White A7IV |
Orbital Bodies: |
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Type |
Moons |
|
|
|
Vetter I |
Searing Terrestrial |
0 |
Vetter II |
Searing Terrestrial |
0 |
Vetter III |
Arid Terrestrial |
0 |
Vetter IV |
Arid Terrestrial |
2 |
Vetter V |
Jovian |
18 |
Vetter VI |
Jovian |
14 |
Vetter VII |
Jovian |
15 |
Vetter VIII
|
Jovian |
8 |
Vetter IX |
Jovian |
12 |
Vetter X |
Jovian |
14 |
Vetter XI |
Jovian |
9 |
Skate scrolled down to the summary, which claimed that no bodies in
the system were habitable by humans. This, coupled with the fact that the data
claimed there was no Imperial governor, meant that, without a shadow of a
doubt, the SSD's databanks had been altered.
"Then it's
confirmed," Jace said, looking up. "Somebody or something went in and
changed the information."
"I have a feeling
that it's the latter," Thunder said. "Ane's HRD could have easily
done that."
"Possibly."
"I think it's more
than possible," Thunder argued. "I'd say likely."
"So you concede
guilt and take full responsibility?" Narska Plo'kre, the Bothan, said. He
tilted his head back and eyed Thunder.
"What are you
talking about?" Thunder asked, narrowing her eyes.
"You are the one
that allowed the ersatz Baron Reno aboard." The Bothan opened his hands,
and clasped them again.
"That was part of a
plan!"
"A plan that may
have had serious side effects," Narska countered. "Or, should I say
'likely' had serious side effects?"
"Why you-"
"Enough," Jace
cut in. "Right now, whose fault it is doesn't matter as much as who--or
what--did it. Whoever did it is our link to Reno's captors, or at least, our
link to Ryvo Lorell. Speaking of which, the intelligence techs examined the
items we brought up. Only the card we found was useful. The only information on
the card was the numeric code of his membership. Nothing in the way of personal
information. They ran a check and only three Bottomless Bottle's came up. One
on Bimmisaari, one on Ovres and one on Sova."
"There isn't a way
to narrow it down?" Palin, Sith Eight, asked.
"The information on
the exterior of the card was too sketchy to compare to the information on the
three sources. The card only has the name and a slogan: 'cut a rug, take a
glug'. Does anybody know what that could mean?"
"On Orcania, in Cani
in particular, 'cutting a rug' means dancing," Star explained. "I
think it's more of a Core colloquialism. And of course, glugging means to
drink."
"Sova is a planet
dedicated to entertainment. It seems logical that such a clever catchphrase
would be the product of a business in a sea of competition. But we can't be
sure. Myself, Ten and Eleven will head to Sova. Two, take Three and Eight to
Ovres. Seven, Nine and Twelve will go to Bimmisaari. Ask the employees, patrons
for any information on Ryvo Lorell. Erase their memory of the questioning and
if any trouble goes down, use your brains. If anything is found, do not act.
Return to the SSD and await my return. Any questions?"
"Yeah, can I trade
with Twelve?" Rick asked. "Bimms are just funny."
"You're not
lying," Seven said, laughing. "Ever been to Bespin?"
"I think Thunder is
too angry with me to have me on her team, Three," Narska said.
"You're damn right
I'm angry!"
"I'm sorry, but is
it my fault that stating the apparent angers you?" Narska asked.
"Kinda odd how the
place is called the Bottomless Bottle," Seven observed randomly.
"They used to call me the Bottomless Bladder, among other things."
"If I can just be
serious for a moment, I can add something I forgot. If and when the correct
location is found and we all return to the SSD to plan our next move,
Thunder will take Three and Eight to Celalon. They are to locate Ryvo Lorell's
parents and scope them out. That way, if this plan comes to a dead end, we can
still move in and take his parents."
"I thought for sure
you'd go to Celalon right away," Jen said.
"If he ditched his
residence on Kiffu, then he probably moved his parents, too," Jace
reasoned. "But we can't be sure of that. I am sending Thunder's team there
as insurance. Besides, I have a gut feeling about this club thing. Go prep for
your missions. Dismissed."
As Skate made her way
to her cabin, a random thought of Wrenn Valto entered her mind. She hadn't
talked to him in several days, and what with all the duty, she didn't even have
the time to think of him. It surprised her that she acutally missed talking to
him, but when she thought about it, it made sense. He really seemed to
understand her, and relate to her stories. That was something she rarely found
among people, even the other members of Sith Squadron. Not only that, but he
was kind to her. Well, as kind as somebody could be over subspace radio.
She rounded a corner and
almost ran right into Lieutenant Trebaum.
"My apologies, Lady
Skate," the tall man said, slightly bowing his head to her.
"No, it was my
fault. My mind was wandering."
"I think all of
ours are in this terrible time."
"Yeah," Skate
agreed, knowing that he was referring to Reno's absence. "Good to see you
are over your sickness, though."
"Thank you. Good to
be over it." Trebaum smiled. "I must be on my way. Good day, Lady
Skate."
"Bye."
Skate watched him go for
a moment, and then continued to her quarters. For some reason, he was hiding
something from her, and he had done it well. Perhaps he was hiding his
feelings for me. She almost kicked herself for thinking that thought. That's
wishful thinking at best. I'm giving myself too much credit there. Or am I?
What else could he have been hiding from her? Trebaum had always acted modest
around her, but she didn't know if that was out of respect for her as a woman
or her as a Sith. She'd like to think it was the former, but there was no way
to tell, save for a deep mind probe. The feelings she did get from him seemed
like respect for her opinion of him. Maybe she was just reading him wrong. Then
again, maybe he did have a fancy for her, but was too afraid to approach her
because of her position.
When
she arrived to her cabin, she checked her console and saw that Wrenn Valto had
left her a message. She brought it up and read it, smiling. She then punched in
his frequency and scramble code. There was no answer, so Skate sent a short
message back to him. After returning from her mission to Kiffu, she hadn't had
the time until this point to try and contact him, and was saddened that they
had missed each other.
Skate began loading up
her pack for her mission to Sova.
The fact that they were
able to fly into the Sova system in their snubs spoke volumes on the amount of
autonomy the New Republic gave individual governments as compared to the
Empire. During the short but boring trip through hyperspace, Skate had gone
into hibernation trance for the first half, and read up on Sova on the second.
The system had a
population of well over fifty billion on a total of eight bodies. It's namesake
planet had the highest population, at twenty-seven billion, and was home to the
Asova, the first of two sentient species native to the system. The second
intelligent species was the Durigan, from a moon of the same name in orbit
around Sova. Duros had settled the third planet in the system, Hurah, which was
was part of S.H.A.R., the system's government. The Sova-Hurah Allied Republic
also included Sova's four moons, Hurah's single moon and a moon around the gas
giant Vazo to form a state that was linked politically, economically and
military-wise.
Soon after the Empire's
loss at Endor, a guerilla force with an intricate cell network rallied
civilians to take up arms and attack the Imperial installations on the planet.
A great number of agents from the Law Enforcement, Defense and Justice
department joined in the fight against the Imperials. Bloody riots ensued and
eventually the Imperials surrendered due to pure overwhelming odds, as they
were greatly outnumbered. In space, the Imperial patrol craft were attacked by
L.E.D.J. forces, who had a comparatively small space force to that of the
Imperials, but had held out until the surrender was issued. Each and every
Imperial had been imprisoned and were still being tried in Sovan courts. Sova
joined the newly founded New Republic as a full allied member not long after
that.
During the Imperial rule
over Sova, there were eight Imperial garrisons, several system patrol craft and
five Skipray Blastboats, plus L.E.D.J.'s force of two domestically manufactured
corvettes and a wing of Vosse “Edge" starfighters. Now the system had
eight corvettes, 4 wings of Edge fighters, and all of the procured Imperial
ships. Skate didn't know whether such a big defense force or hospitality was
the reason three rogue starfighters were allowed to enter the system without an
alarm being raised. She hadn't gotten that far in her reading, so she
conjectured that it was a combination of the two.
"Unknown fighter
group, welcome to the Sova system! I am Zobel Tarey, captain of the
S.H.A.R.C.E. patrol craft Siljeenu. Please identify yourselves and state
your purpose for visiting our system."
"This is-"
Jace's voice began.
"Unknown fighter
group, ignore request by Siljeenu. This is S.H.A.R.P. patrol craft Strong
Arm, please identify."
"This is-"
Jace began again.
"Strong Arm,
on whose authority do you intercede here?" came Captain Tarey's voice,
this time with a bit of an edge in it.
"This is clearly
not S.H.A.R.C.E. responsibility. These three starships are obviously not cargo
vessels."
"Not cargo vessels?
Does that matter? Do you know what they could bring in on those small ships?"
"The S.H.U.T.T.L.E.
states that any vessel with less than ten metric tons of cargo space is under
police dominion."
Shark? Sharp?
Shuttle? What are they talking about? Skate asked herself.
"It also states
that if no S.H.A.R.P. craft are in range of incoming extrasystem traffic, no
matter the size, then they are subject to customs enforcement craft,"
Tarey shot back.
"After notifying
the nearest S.H.A.R.P. craft or base of doing so," the Strong Arm
skipper said in a triumphant tone.
"While you two argue, can we just move on to Sova?"
Jace asked.
"No!" both
Sovan ship commanders said in unison.
"Look, I would have
contacted you, but I didn't see you on my scopes-" Tarey started.
"Listen! If both of
you don't stop arguing, you can forget about S.H.A.R.C.E.'s, S.H.A.R.P.'s and
S.H.U.T.T.L.E.'s, because you'll be dealing with S.H.I.T.!" Jen said
viciously.
"S.H.I.T.?"
"Set, homed,
incoming torpedo!" Jen exclaimed. "All we want to do is make our way
to Sova and have a good time. Please leave us out of your petty quarrel and
grant us access, hokay?"
"Fair enough,"
Tarey said after a short pause. Skate's board rang with incoming data.
"Access codes sent."
"Thank you,"
Jen said.
"As I was saying,
if I had seen you-" Tarey said, resuming his argument with the Strong
Arm captain, but Skate rolled her eyes and switched over to the Sith
Squadron private frequency.
"Nice work,
Jen!" Skate praised.
"Thanks."
"Lead?" Skate
called out to Jace.
"Yeah, good
job."
"Oh, how
sincere," Jen said sardonically. "Anyways, I think this system is up
to its six in red tape."
"What's with all
the sh'sh's?" Skate asked curiously.
"Didn't you read
the information?" Jace asked.
"I didn't finish
it," Skate admitted.
"S.H.A.R.C.E. is
Sova-Hurah Allied Republic Customs Enforcement. S.H.A.R.P. is Sova-Hurah Allied
Republic Police. S.H.U.T.T.L.E is Sova-Hurah Unifed Treaty on Trade Laws and
Embargoes. The Asova seem to be obsessed with acronyms. They have an acronym
for almost everything, it seems. They even started naming their children in
acronym form about two hundred standard years ago, which is, not
coincidentally, when the Old Republic first made contact with them."
"Weird."
"Very. Get ready for the short hop to Sova."
By the time they landed,
Skate had figured out that if Sova was indeed up to its six in red tape as Jen
had speculated, then it was mostly confined to official channels, as they had
made it to the surface with little or no scrutiny. In fact, every official they
had spoken with had been quite friendly.
After setting down in
R.U.C.O.S.S., they had set out to find the Bottomless Bottle. The Recognized
Urban Capital Of the Sova System being the bustling city that it was, that was
no small feat. The card found in Ryvo Lorell's apartment on Kiffu hadn’t
provided an address, and finding their way through the crowds to the
establishment was a problem. After two hours of shouldering past other beings
and passing countless bars, casinos, theaters, arcades, dance halls, concert
halls, among other outlets of diversion, they made it to the Bottomless Bottle.
Jace had taken up a position in an alley across the street while the two women
had entered the club.
The place was quite fancy, with flashing multicolored lights
decorating the sign, and more of the same type adorning the interior. Red and
gray tables, chairs and booths surrounded a central dance floor, with three
bars on as many walls. A curtain and bandstand sat in one corner. A great
assortment of species danced, drank and conversed. The place wasn't at full
capacity, but it was still busy.
When Skate and Jen had
entered, they were asked for club memberships. Whether because a membership
wasn't required or the bouncer had admitted them because they were women, Skate
didn't know. She reasoned that it was probably the latter, since that was a
common practice at clubs throughout the galaxy.
Skate and Jen sat at
different bars, avoiding the one with a Toydarian tender. The man behind
Skate's bar was in his mid to late forties, had graying hair and a scar over
his left eye. He handed a large blue drink with white cream at the top to a
couple of unidentifiable aliens and then turned to her.
"Good evening. I am
Bran Klinn. I will be your server tonight." He smiled at Skate as he
spoke. "What can I start you off with?"
"Whyren's?"
Skate asked hopefully.
"Oh, sorry, no
Whyren's Reserve in stock. How about some other good Corellian whisky?"
"No, just give me
some Bespin Port."
"What year?"
"The best you've
got."
Bran Klinn nodded and
retrieved the bottle from under the counter. He watched her as he popped open
the Port and filled her glass. "What's a pretty young lady like you doing
drinking all by yourself?"
"Does the
commentary come free with the Port, or is it extra?" Skate asked dryly.
"It depends.
Flattering isn't free, but rude remarks come cheap." Bran set the drink in
front of Skate on a napkin.
"Seems like you'd
stick with the flattering then. More profit." Skate took a sip of her
Port.
"You're
smart."
"And I don't need a
barkeep to remind me of that." Skate locked her eyes with his. "You
will tell me all the information you know about Ryvo Lorell."
"Ryvo Lorell…"
Bran repeated. He reached under the counter and at first Skate tensed, but then
realized that she didn't sense any danger. When his hand reappeared, it held a
datacard. He set it on the bar in front of her.
Skate pulled her datapad
from her jacket and slid the datacard in. The data loaded and she was stunned
at what she saw. Hyperspace coordinates, terrain information, location map . .
. on where Reno was being held. There was text, giving detailed information,
advice and warnings. Most prominent was one instructing not to reveal who or
where the information came from. And at the bottom, it was signed by Ryvo
Lorell.
Skate swallowed. She
didn't know what to make of any of it. It could well be a trap, and if it weren't,
it would be a dangerous undertaking. Either way, she couldn't let her fellow
squadron mates rush into this risky situation. She felt responsible for Reno's
kidnapping and didn't want to endanger any of her friends. Her wildnerness
survival skills would aid her in the mission, and anyone accompanying her would
only slow her down. Skate slipped the datacard into a pocket and took another
sip of her drink. Soon after, Jen approached her.
"Find
anything?" Jen asked.
"No, nothing.
You?"
"Nope." Jen
looked down, shaking her head. "It's so frustrating. I really thought we
would find something here."
Skate didn't answer. She
hid her deception from Jen, but felt her stomach twist with guilt. That guilt
had to be stomached for the time being. Soon, all would be well and she could
tell Jen and the rest of the squadron everything.
"Come on," Jen
said, heading for the door.
"Where are we
going?" Skate said, tossing some credits on the counter.
"To talk to
Jace."
"You are so
binary!"
"Come on!" Jen
pleaded. "Everyone is tired from this whole mess. This planet has
something for everyone. We can bring down everyone else."
"That will only
slow us down," Jace argued.
"Or fatigue will.
Take your pick."
"And Thunder is
supposed to take her team to Celalon," Jace said, ignoring Jen's comment.
"Three days. I ask
no more of you."
Jace looked down at the
ground. "All right. Three days. No more."
Jen squeezed Jace's
forearm and smiled.
"Hey guys, I can go
back to the SSD and tell the rest of the squad," Skate offered.
"You two can stay here . . . together. What do you think?"
Jen gave Skate the
"it's okay" signal. "It stinks." Jen smiled. "But it
sounds like a plan to me."
"This is all depending
on what the other two teams find out," Jace added. "If either of them
do find something, I want you to contact me. I am heading straight there with
Eleven."
"Understood. I am
anxious to hit some casinos, so the sooner I leave, the sooner I get
back."
"See you
soon."
While waiting for the
rest of the squadron to return so that she could notify them about the shore
leave on Sova, Skate had retreated to her quarters. She loaded a pack with
survival gear, both practical and high tech. As she crammed dry rations into
the already full pack, her comm pinged.
She walked over to the
unit and glanced at the display. Subspace radio signal. She flicked a switch.
"Skate."
"It's about time I
caught you."
"Hey! How are you,
Wrenn?"
"I can't complain.
And you?"
"Good," Skate
answered, and then paused. "But I don't know for how long. I am going on a
dangerous mission."
Wrenn's tone turned
serious. "You've found Reno?"
"I think so. I
can't tell you much. Sorry."
"That's okay. Just be careful."
"I will. I know I
am going to succeed, but that doesn't mean I won't come back injured."
Skate paused. "I have to succeed, Wrenn."
"I hear a lot of
'I' and not much 'we'. Don't forget that you have a squadron of exceptional
people on your side, Skate."
"No. I am going
alone."
"What?"
Wrenn asked incredulously.
"I don't want the
others to risk their lives. This whole situation is my fault."
"How do you
figure?"
"I told Reno about
the information you gave me," Skate said. "It wasn't good enough for
him and he opted for a different source."
"That's absurd. By
your logic, you aren't the one at fault. I am!"
"Maybe the way I
presented it made it undesirable," Skate argued.
"No. The info was
from me. You're shooting the messenger. You're shooting yourself. Please don't
do this. Do the smart thing and tell everyone about whatever you've
uncovered."
"Look, I know that
I wasn't the information source, but I feel guilty. I feel as if I am the one
solely responsible for Reno's kidnapping. If I bring my friends with me and any
of them are killed, then I will have to live with that guilt, too. Look, Wrenn,
I appreciate your caring, but promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
he asked.
"Don't contact the SSD
and tell them."
There was a long pause.
"Okay. I won't. But I still think this is a stupid thing for you to
do."
"The stakes are
high," Skate agreed. "But I am all about the risk, remember?"
"Right. But again,
just be careful. It takes a lot longer to build up the hand pot than it does to
lose it."
"I'll remember
that. I have to go, so I hope I talk to you soon."
"Good luck,"
Wrenn said.
"Thanks.
Goodbye."
"Really?"
"Yes," Skate
answered. "Three days! There are all kinds of places to have fun
there."
"Leave . .
." Thunder looked off into the cavernous hangar.
"Well, I will have
your snubs fueled for you, if you want to go get ready," Skate offered.
"Very good,"
Thunder answered. "So, you guys didn't find anything?"
Skate winced, but played
it off as disappointment in coming up empty-handed. In reality, she had been
hoping Thunder wouldn't ask that question, so she wouldn't have to lie to her.
"No."
"Us, either. What
about Seven's team?"
"No, nothing."
"Well, I am off to
my quarters." Thunder turned and walked away. When she had passed through
the doors, Skate turned to a tech.
"Fuel all Sith
fighters. Prepare my X-wing for launch."
"Yes, ma'am."
Skate headed for her
X-wing where Ante was working in an open access panel.
"Almost
ready?"
Ante beeped an
affirmative. Good, because I want to get out of here before I have to
deceive anyone else.
Skate pushed the lever
forward and brought her X-wing into realspace. The distant globe of the star
MH-77542-JL-4957's third planet hung in space ahead and to port of her
orientation. At this distance, it looks about the size of her smallest
fingernail held at arm's length. She checked her primary sensor screen for any
data the passive sensors might pick up. Only natural phenomena.
"Ante, run a sensor
scan, but don't extend the sphere too close to the planet." The droid
beeped an inquiry. "I don't know. Don't get any closer than one hundred
thousand klicks."
After waiting several
moments, she had determined that there were no ships in the area. The
information on the system she had retrieved from the SSD's computer had
indicated that the planet had no moons, and enhanced visual analysis confirmed
it.
"Ante, I am going
to take us in, full throttle. Maintain sensors scan, but decrease the sphere as
we approach."
The astromech tootled
compliance as Skate brought the sublight engines to power. She kept an eye on
her sensor screen as she moved the snubfighter toward the planet. Minute after
minute passed, and the sensors still didn't pick up anything anomalous. After
almost an hour, Skate stopped the active sensor scan.
"Maintain
monitoring of passive sensors, Ante."
The planet now almost filled her forward canopy. It was mostly
white, with bits of dark green peeking out through the cloud cover. Skate
brought up an infrared view on her visual enhancer to find the appropriate continent
for her descent. As she looked at the image of a small continent slowly passing
by, suddenly it went black, replaced with blue electricity.
"Stang! Ion hit!
Can you get me maneuvering jets, Ante?" The droid blatted a skeptical
response, but Skate couldn't be sure of what he had said, since all her screens
were out. "Just try to get me maneuvering jets. Repulsorlifts would be
nice, too."
People could say what
they wanted about the superiority of R2 units to its successors, but there was
no other astromech as adept at repairing ionization damage than an R5 unit.
Skate looked around her in all directions for the ship that had
fired on her. She didn't see anything but stars on the black background of
space. Why hadn't her sensors picked up the ship? It was all a trap, she
thought. Lucky the whole squadron didn't come along.
A few of her screens
came back online, but so sensor data came up, as sensors were still knocked
out. She punched up a damage control report and took a look. Weapons,
propulsion, repulsorlifts, sensors, almost everything out.
"Ante? Those
maneuvering jets?" The droid beeped positively. Skate glanced at the
translation screen.
Estimating 1.24 minutes.
Skate exhaled uneasily
as she looked at the planet growing in her forward canopy. If Ante was wrong in his estimation, it could
very well mean her death, burning up with her ship if it hit the atmosphere.
She checked the damage control report again to see if ejection systems were
operational. They were, but she figured ejecting wouldn't put her in a much
better situation. Ante suddenly beeped, indicating that the maneuvering jets
were online.
"This is going to
be tough without sensors," Skate said more to herself than to Ante.
First, she slowed her
velocity as best she could with the jets. Then she closed her eyes. Relaxing
her hands on the flight stick, she opened herself to the Force. She could see
the planet in her mind's eye, without the outline of the canopy, as if she was
flying in space without the use of a starship. Feeling where to aim her ship,
she moved her control yoke in that direction. In her mind, a spot on the
atmosphere was bordered in red, her entry vector. She passed through it without
incident and opened her eyes. Sweat was beaded on her forehead.
"Ante? Those repulsorlifts?"
The droid moaned skeptically. Skate glanced at her altimeter and prepared for
ejection. "Ante, try to get those repulsorlifts back up. If you can't,
then eject. I am going to eject very soon."
Skate waited until the
altimeter read a comfortable number and pulled the overhead loop that made the
explosive bolts blow off the canopy. Rockets mounted on the bottom of the seat
propelled her from the starfighter. The fuel ran out, killing the rockets and
she pulled the switch to deploy the para-foil. Luckily, she wasn't over one of
the planet's few bodies of water. Instead, she was falling towards a lush, dark
green grassland, with a forest to the north. The fall was slow, and gave Skate
time to consider her situation. She was stranded on a strange planet, with
somebody who had shot her down in the vicinity. The former she wasn't afraid
of, as she had her Antarian Rangers background to aid her. As for the people
who had shot her down, she didn't know what to think. It could have been a ship
with two people or a ship with two hundred people. There hadn’t been any sign
of them before or after she was hit with the ion blast.
As she neared the grassy
surface, she used telekinesis to soften the landing. Even with the para-foil,
it still packed quite a wallop to hit the ground. She set the seat down softly,
the para-foil settling over her. As she began to unstrap, she heard a hum that
seemed to be getting louder by the second. She got up from the seat and lifted
the para-foil to take a look.
From the forest to the north came at least
two dozen battle droids flying what she remembered as being called STAPs. She
had never seen a STAP--or a battle droid for that matter--in person until now,
but had read about them. Behind them came a speeder truck and a CSA GX12
Hovervan.
As the STAPs circled her
and the larger vehicles stopped, Skate's stomach twisted. From the rear of the
truck came at least twenty more battle droids. The side folding hatch on the
left side of the hovervan came down and two humans debarked. One was a young
man with dark hair in a gray uniform. The other wore a similar uniform, with a
black sash hanging from his left shoulder. He had a long, thin face, ending in
a pointy chin. Curly gray hair along with a gray mustache and goatee contrasted
to the shorthaired, clean-shaven youth at his side. All of this, but mostly the
battle droids, assured Skate, without a shadow of a doubt, of whom she was
dealing with.
"So we finally come
across yet another member of Sith Squadron," the older man said with a
malignant smile. "Skate, isn't it? I am Veego. My master will be happy to
know you payed us a visit, however you found us."
"It's not a social
call," Skate said dryly.
"It could very well
be. That I will have to determine."
"There is nothing
to determine," Skate bit out.
"You were the one
that came, so don't be angry with me for your ineptitude! Lieutenant, disarm
and bind her. Load her onto my vehicle."
"Yes, Chief,"
the lead battle droid said in its mechanical voice.
Skate thought, only for
a second, about making a fight of it. That brief inspiration was shattered when
common sense told her that there was no way out.
Jen winced at the sound
coming from the stage before her. She looked over at Jace, who seemed to be
enjoying the music, as far as she could tell. The waitress stopped at the
table, but Jace, immersed in the music, didn’t even notice her. Jen just
pointed at his glass and then at hers, and both were promptly filled with their
respective concoctions.
“Don’t you ever get
tired of this jizz?” Jen asked over the clamor.
“Jatz. This is jatz.”
Jen read Jace’s lips more than she heard him, as the band had just hit a high
note.
“Whatever,” she said at
a normal volume. At least he’s enjoying himself.
Jen took a look at the
band. There was but two humans on the stage, a man and a woman. The rest were
an assorted lot of nonhumans. A Bith played a huge, curved, horn-looking
instrument, which rested on the ground. A Quarren and Twi’lek female played
thin, meter long instruments. An Ithorian held an intricate instrument with two
mouthpieces, one for each of its mouths. Behind a keyboard sat a Chadra-Fan,
with a Snivvian next to him who sat behind a box with a conical structure atop
it. The human male, in front of the rest of the group, played the only
instrument Jen recognized, a Kloo horn.
What caught her
attention, though, was the human female. It wasn’t her playing of the small,
hand-held instrument, but her hair. Long, intricately braided. A hairstyle
common to Kiffar females.
“Jace,” Jen called over
the music.
“Yeah?”
“That woman is Kiffar.”
“The one playing the
synchronica?” Jace asked.
“Uh, I guess.”
Jace took a good look at
the woman. “She certainly looks like it. I know what you’re getting at, but
Kiffar are common in this area of the galaxy.”
“No shit, Olie, but
something tells me there’s more.”
“Is that something
the Force?” Jace asked, taking a sip of his drink and looking back at the band.
“Could be.”
The song ended and the
band started filing through a curtain at the rear of the bandstand. They took
the smaller instruments with them, as leaving them on the stage would make them
fair game for shadier patrons of the tap cafe. Jen took her drink and clicked
it against Jace’s then went to take a gulp, but was interrupted by a man’s
voice.
“Nice to know we have
some appreciation around here,” the Kloo horn jockey said, approaching the
table.
“Excuse me?” Jace asked,
turning around to look at the man.
“The entire crowd was
ignoring us. Except for you. Benny Nedran.” The man offered Jace his hand.
“Jace Sidrona.” Jace met
his hand, but it wasn’t a simple handshake. Benny switched his grip on Jace’s
hand in a complex pattern, finishing with a light tap of the fists. Jen found
it amusing to watch Jace follow along as best he could.
“And is this your lovely
wife? Girlfriend?”
“No. Friends. I’m Jen.”
Benny offered her his hand, but she only smiled. “I think I’ll pass. Have a
seat, though?”
Benny seated himself.
“Yeah, the people around here are mostly residents. If they were tourists,
they’d be enjoying themselves. We only play this place a few times a month.”
“Really?” Jace asked,
surprised. “You haul that chindinkalu around often?”
“Sure. It can be a
grekking pain, so we use an anti-grav unit on it.”
“Smart thinking,” Jace
said, nodding. “Can’t be lost in the wastes.”
“You’re from Tatooine!”
Benny’s face lit up. “Man, I haven’t
been there for a while. We usually get a warm reception.”
“Good jizz or jatz is
always appreciated there,” Jace said, nodding.
“But the muggings aren’t
appreciated by us off-worlders.”
“Don’t blame Tatooine,
blame yourselves,” Jace said, with a stiff face, which slowly turned into a
smile.
“Jace is an avid fan of
jatz, but that isn’t the only reason he was so attentive,” Jen said. “He likes
one of the girls.”
Benny chuckled. “It
isn’t the Twi’lek girl, is it? Because that’s my wife, Nesha.”
“No, it’s the human
girl,” Jen corrected while Jace look at her incredulously.
“Oh, Jalia. Kiffar girl.
She is very sweet. She has a boyfriend, but I can put a good word in for you.
Her man is nice, but doesn’t even know the difference between jizz and jatz.”
“That’s all right,” Jace
said, kicking Jen under the table. “No thanks.”
Jen frowned at Jace and
turned to Benny. “Kiffar, eh? Her boyfriend wouldn’t happen to be named Ryvo,
would he?”
Benny sobered. “Ryvo?
How do you know Ryvo?”
“It is her boyfriend
then?”
“Her cousin. How do you
know him?”
“I met him on
Obroa-skai,” Jen said.
“I see.” The musician
was silent for a moment. “I gotta go. Nice to meet both of you.”
“Wait,” Jace said as
Benny started to rise from his seat.
“Look, let’s cut to the
point.” Benny looked at Jace and then at Jen. “You’re looking for information
on Ryvo. He knew you’d be coming and left some information for you in a bar
called the Bottomless Bottle. Go there and talk to Bran Klinn. He should have
something for you. Now I told you all I know, so I ask that you leave me and my
band to be.”
Jen thought for a
moment. Ryvo Lorell’s cousin would make great ransom, as she was from his
mother’s side of the family. It was the only choice, as what the man had told
them had to be a lie, for she had already investigated that lead.
“We will,” Jace said.
What? Jen
thought. How could Jace let such an opportunity go?
“Thank you,” Benny said,
turning to leave. “Nice to meet you, really. See you around.”
When Benny was out of
earshot, Jen locked her brown eyes on Jace.
“He wasn’t lying,” Jace
said, not waiting, not needing for her to say anything.
“And how can you be so
sure?”
“How can I not be
so sure? For one, there’s the Force. Two, is it a coincidence that he directed
us to our only solid lead? That club card had to have been left by Lorell
purposely for us to find. We come here, get whatever it is he left at
Bottomless Bottle, and leave him to be.”
“Why not just contact us
and tell us?” Jen asked.
“Well, why didn’t he
just never set up Reno to be captured in the first place?” Jace rubbed his
chin. “Either he had a change of heart and didn’t want to contact us directly
because of fear, shame or some other reason, or…he didn’t want Xanthis or
whoever hired him to know he tipped us off.”
“It all makes sense, but
Jace, we’ve already been there. We came up with nothing.” Jen shrugged.
“Did you?” Jace asked
suspiciously.
“Yes!” Jen exclaimed,
somewhat irritated with Jace’s inference.
“Did she?”
Jen’s heart sank into her stomach. The very thought of Skate hiding
something so important and even lying to her face sickened Jen like Kubaz
cuisine. “You don’t think she’d do that, do you?”
“I know that she was
anxious to return to the SSD,” Jace said. “You don’t remember getting
any kind of sense of deception from her?”
“No.”
“Pretty soon she should
be due back with the rest of the squad,” Jace observed. “We can hit Bottomless
Bottle in the meantime and see what we come up with.”
“And if she doesn’t
return with the rest of the Sith?” Jen asked, hoping that possibility wouldn’t
come to pass.
“We look for her.”