Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance (7 page)

"I
have something for you, " he told her. "A world ripe for
annexation, discovered by the Hutts. "

"I've
heard something about this already, " she said. "No one
knows where it is, and we won't until we pay up. Do you have anything
to add, Ula?"

He
deflated slightly. So he wasn't the first to make a report. "Not
yet, Minister. But I'm well placed to follow it up and hope to learn
more soon. "

"That
would be to the benefit of us all, Ula, " she said with another
smile. "Why did you call me about it?"

"Because
it's the opportunity we've been waiting for, " he said, feeling
his pulse thudding in his neck. This was as dangerous a territory now
as it had ever been. "We don't need fanatics to rule a galaxy.
We just need proper governance and administration. Rules, laws,
discipline. When you see those lunatics wreaking havoc on the worlds
out here-Jedi and Sith alike-I have to ask what benefit they bring. "
He used her own word deliberately. "There wouldn't be a war at
all without them stirring things up. "

"I
remember this, Ula, "she said with patience that cut through him
like a lightsaber. "I understand your views, but there's nothing
I can do..."

"All
we need is just one world, a strong world capable of defending
itself, on which the Imperial citizens could thrive without fear or
oppression. "

"The
world you've heard of belongs rightfully to the Emperor. I cannot
claim it for myself. "

"But
you're the Minister of Logistics now! The entire Imperial bureaucracy
is yours. "

She
rebuffed him gently, as she always did. "It is the Emperor's, as
it should be. I am his instrument, and I would not betray his trust.
"

"I
would never ask you to do that. "

"I
know, Ula. You are as loyal as I am, and you mean well, but I fear
that what you ask is impossible. "

He
took pains never to push their friendship too far, but he was unable
to hide his disappointment "What will it take to change your
mind, Minister?"

"When
you have the location of the world, talk to me again. "

He
knew all too well that betraying the Republic while at the same time
trying to convince a senior minister to increase the influence of
ordinary people in their relations with the Sith ruling class could
bring his entire world to ruin.

"Thank
you, Minister, " he said. "You are kind to indulge me. "

"It's
neither kindness, Ula, nor an indulgence. You may call me anytime. "

She
ended the transmission, and this time Ula didn't sag. He already felt
fully deflated, insignificant-even if Watcher Three did describe his
mission of being one of significance to the Emperor himself. He felt
like a grain of sand buffeted by powerful ocean currents. No matter
which shore he landed upon, the waves pounded him harder than ever.

Maintain
a close watch and report all developments.

That
he could do. Exhausted from his day of talking, he filed a written
report for Supreme Commander Stantorrs. Then he undressed and lay on
his hard bed and waited for dawn.

CHAPTER
4

Larin
Moxla stood in the Senate Gardens, on a busy thoroughfare lined with
benches. It was early evening, and the sky was full of lights. She
felt uncomfortably exposed, and was struck by how used she'd become
to the old districts. Only a few months had passed since she'd been
drummed out of Blackstar Squad, and already the hazy sky of the upper
levels looked too large, the people too refined, the droids too
clean, and the buildings too new. Give her a year, she thought, and
she'd be completely at one with the dregs of society.

Her
feeling of alienation was only confirmed when a quartet of Senate
Security officers strode by, three men-Twi'lek, Zabrak, and human-and
a stocky Nikto woman. The SSO's caught sight of her and approached.

"Are
you lost?" rumbled the Twi'lek. "You look like you've been
pulled backward through a Sarlacc. "

"Twice,
" the Nikto woman chittered, not unkindly.

Larin
wanted to walk away. They were speaking to her soldier-to-soldier,
using familiar, bantering tones, but her heart wasn't in it.

"Thanks,
guys, " she said. "I'm okay, and I won't be here long. "
She was waiting for Shigar to return from talking to Satele Shan, and
this was where she had said they should meet.

"No
worries, " said the human with a wink. "lust try not to
frighten anyone. "

"Wait,
" said the Zabrak, peering at her. "Do I know you?"

"I
don't think so, " she said.

"Yeah,
I do, " he said. "You're Toxic Moxla, the Kiffar who
snitched on Sergeant Donbar. "

Larin
felt the blood rising to her head. "That's none of your
business. "

"Oh,
yeah? I've got a cousin in Special Forces who'd disagree, " said
the Zabrak, right into her face.

She
held his stare, lighting the urge to retreat, or to head-butt him-one
swift, solid lunge that might cut her forehead to the bone on his
horns, but would certainly lay him out cold.

But
then she'd have a probable affray charge to wear afterward. The
gardens were full of witnesses, fine, upstanding witnesses who didn't
sleep in an abandoned warehouse and hand-weld their clothes from
castoff scrap.

"Easy,
Ses, " said the Twi'lek to the Zabrak. "You've had one too
many fizzbrews over lunch again. "

"When
did you hear from your cousin, anyway?" added the Nikto woman,
taking his arm and guiding him firmly away. "Last I heard, he
owed you money. "

The
human cast Larin an apologetic look as the trio led their drunk
friend away, but not before he could call over his shoulder, "Crawl
back into your hole, Toxic Moxla. We don't want your kind up here!"

Larin
watched the Zabrak go with her face burning hot. How did such a lout
ever get into the SSO, Jet alone know someone in Special Forces? It
didn't seem possible.

But
mixed with her outrage was a feeling of deep shame. Yes, she had
snitched on her commanding officer. Yes, she was playacting at being
a soldier in a poorly made costume. But neither came lightly to her.
She had her reasons.

Larin
turned to face the distant Jedi Temple. Abandoned in ruins and sealed
off ever since the sacking of Coruscant, it was an ominous, shadowy
presence against the lights of the skylanes and skyscrapers. Like
fate, ever-present.

SHIGAR
WAITED FOR five minutes before his Master appeared as though out of
nowhere, right by his side. He never heard her coming, but had
learned at least not to be as startled as in the early days of his
apprenticeship. That, he assumed, was the heart of this particular
lesson: some things could never be anticipated, but he could control
the way he reacted to them.

They
stood together for a moment in the empty cloisters, staring up at the
looming, silver cylinder that was the Galactic Justice Center. Its
lights burned brightly, and never flickered once.

"You've
put something in motion, Shigar, " she said.

"Do
you see this in the future, Master?" The foresight of Grand
Master Satele Shan was legendary, and never wrong.

She
shook her head. "Not this time. I received this a moment ago
from Supreme Commander Stantorrs. "

She
passed Shigar a datapad, and he read the packet of information
displayed there twice. It contained everything uncovered about Dao
Stryver, Lema Xandret, and the Cinzia in the previous hours. Someone
had been busy, he thought.

"The
Hutts certainly recognize an opportunity when they see one, " he
said, wrapping the new data around everything he had already gleaned
about the Mandalorian, the Black Sun, and the attack on Larin Moxla.

"The
Cinzia gives Tassaa Bareesh two plays for the price of one, "
his Master said. "To the administrations of the Republic and the
Empire, the primary concern is the ship's origin. Where it came from
matters much more than its purpose or what it contained. We all know
that the Republic is desperate for resources, and any new world will
aid its cause. It goes without saying that Supreme Commander
Stantorrs will pursue this matter further, on that ground alone.

"From
the point of view of the Jedi Council, however, the situation is
precisely reversed. The Hutts are auctioning more than just
information: there's the cargo of the ship to consider, too. The
object they're selling presumably has some recognizable value, but as
yet we do not know what it is. It could be anything. We can't ignore
the possibility that they have stumbled upon something critical to
the Jedi

Order-an
artifact, perhaps, or a weapon. Many are spoken of in ancient records
but are yet unaccounted for; just one might make a difference in the
war against the Emperor. "

"It
could lie a Sith artifact, " he said, knowing full well that the
forces of the enemy had their own arsenals, as ancient as the Jedi
Order's.

"That's
also a possibility. We must, therefore, do everything in our power to
ensure that this thing the Hutts have-whatever it is-does not fall
into the wrong hands. "

"It's
already in the wrong hands, " he said.

"That's
true, but Tassaa Bareesh only recognizes one side: her own. I have no
fears of her using this find directly against us. Still, we need to
know more about it, and soon. That's where you come in, Shigar. "

Shigar
studied his Master's face. He had felt that the conversation was more
than idle chat, but he hadn't expected an active role in the
situation.

"I
will do anything you wish, Master. "

"You
will go to the court of Tassaa Bareesh and uncover everything you can
about the Cinzia and its contents. You're to travel incognito in
order to minimize our apparent interest in the sale. You will report
what you find to me directly, and I will decide what to do with that
information. You will leave this evening. "

Her
voice was brisk and matter-of-fact, belying the significance of her
words. This was a major assignment, cutting through the thick of a
complex political knot. Were he to fail, it would reflect badly on
the Jedi Order, and perhaps hinder the entire war effort. The
responsibility was considerable.

Coming
so soon after his disappointment of that morning, however, it was
impossible to silence a nagging, doubtful voice.

"Are
you sure I'm the right choice?" he asked, dragging the words out
as though they were made of lead. "After all, the Council
believes me unfit for the trials. There must be someone else better
qualified who can do this for you. "

"Are
you telling me you don't want to go, Shigar? That you're not ready?"

He
bowed his head to hide his mingled pride and uncertainty. "I
trust your judgment, Master, better than my own. "

"Good,
because I believe my reasoning is sound. Your face is unknown on
Hutta; you will therefore find it easier to pass unnoticed. And I
have faith in you. Remember that. I am certain that this is the path
laid down for you. "

"So
you have seen something!"

He
tried to read her expression in the flickering lights of the city.
She could have been amused, concerned, or completely blank. It was
hard to tell. Perhaps all three.

He
swore to himself that he would make her proud. "What about the
situation here-the gangs, the poverty?"

"That's
the responsibility of the local authorities, " she said, fixing
him with a firm stare. "They are doing their best. "

He
heard the warning in her voice. The Jedi's role in the galaxy led
them outward, to Tython; he had been told many times before that the
Republic's many social problems should not be his, even if this time
Mandalorians were involved. Until Mandalore declared himself a
particular enemy of someone, he could be considered more or less
neutral. "Yes, Master. "

"Go
now. There's a shuttle waiting for you. "

Shigar
bowed and went to walk away.

"Be
kind, Shigar, " his Master added. "Some roads are harder
than yours have been. "

When
he turned back, Satele Shan was gone, vanished into the night as
though she had never been there at all.