“How interesting,” Luna muttered, looking up from another data file. “Our deceased friend seems to have had quite the network of associates. Any one of which could be tied to Lord Vader’s property. If only your agents had been competent enough to bring Yorrick himself in for questioning instead of gunning him down.”
“A simple observation mission abruptly became one of life and death.” The hologram of Major Celebraine appeared as nonplussed as ever. “My agent acted appropriately given the circumstances of which he was aware. That he did not possess precognitive abilities is no slight against him. One might argue it was your department’s failure to share intelligence that left us unaware of the significance of the smuggler’s companion.”
“And one could argue that it was your department’s… failure to properly assess its technical personnel that almost resulted in my ship becoming bugged.” Luna retorted with just a slight undertone of threat.
The Major took the hint. “I regret to report that as yet our agents have found no further signs of this elusive ‘Maul’. The Bureau is sparing no effort in this endeavor.”
“I should hope so,” Luna said. “As yet the droid and satellite data I’m receiving has not turned up any sightings either.”
“Unfortunate. Perhaps the man has spooked into vacating the planet. It would hardly be the first time.”
“Without his stolen prize? Hardly likely.”
“What makes you so confident that he didn’t receive Lord Vader’s belongings and leave before you ever broke hyperspace above Corulag?”
“Call it Inquisitor’s intuition,” said Luna drily.
“As you say, my lady.” Celebraine nodded.
“So tell me, Major, what do you make of this latest intelligence?”
“I am afraid that you will need to be more specific, Lady Inquisitor,” he answered. “We have hundreds of sources of new intelligence arriving constantly.”
“Are you ignorant, dense, or pretending to be so?” Luna snapped. “You know I’m referring to the data we’ve received regarding Atax Kersh and his sudden evacuation in the middle of the night. According to your files the man was a close associate of Yorrick before his demise and had spent the last several days curled up in the rat hole, only coming out for drinks or spice. And then suddenly he leaves in the middle of the night with a man and woman of unknown providence? That is, I assume they are of unknown providence, Major?”
“No Imperial Security Bureau files on the pair exist in any database I have access to,” he said noncommittally. “Which would indicate they have yet to come up as any serious issue to the Empire. Most likely they are simple criminal acquaintances of the man.”
“There’s a first time for everything, Major. But tell me, why would ‘simple criminal acquaintances’ be removing Kersh from his rat hole in the middle of the night, avoiding the eyes of your agents as they did so?”
“Who knows why scum do what they do?” He shrugged. “Fear for his safety or sanity, perhaps. Our images of the man suggest he was not in good health, physical or mental, to begin with and it has only gone downhill from there. Perhaps he owes them money they wish to collect.”
“Is it not your sole function to understand why scum do what they do?”
“My function is to secure the Empire and, more immediately, Corulag and the surrounding system, preventing deviants and dissidents from taking root. Chasing petty criminals and smugglers I leave to more local authorities. I do not waste my time on stalking elderly addicts and mental patients,” he answered with a note of contempt.
Luna frowned a little. For all the dismissive attitude Celebraine feigned, she could feel a sense of growing unease in the man. He didn’t like where this conversation was headed. Why?
“Besides, we’ve had at least three of the men and women on this list move around since we began our observations,” he continued. “I see no reason this one should be of particular interest.”
“I might take that attitude,” Luna said as she pulled up a second hologram, this one from the probe droid. “If it hadn’t been for the way they’re going about it. Tell me, Major, what do you see?”
The overhead shot showed a trio of beings taking a long and circuitous route through a run-down portion of cityscape, feinting and doubling back several times through the maze of buildings, stalls, and piles of scrap. They weaved in and out of various streams of people with ease, taking a few minutes to reach a speeder not actually that far from where they began. It was a route guaranteed to throw off all but the most able ground-bound tails.
“A pack of scum worried about someone following them.” Luna sensed a flash of irritation alongside his unease. “Which is hardly abnormal.”
“And this?” the princess asked, magnifying the image.
From such a high and far removed vantage point the details were unclear at best, but it did show what was obviously Kersh holding something tightly under his arm. When the hologram was allowed to move again, the man kept looking at it every few steps. Luna didn’t recognize the other two, but they appeared more focused on getting the old man to move.
“The man is a known spice addict. Clearly, he didn’t want to leave any of his stash behind,” Celebraine reasoned. “Again, this is nothing abnormal.”
“You could be right, Major,” said Luna with a frown. “But I haven’t seen such behavior from any of the other targets we’ve been observing, and I don’t feel like taking chances.” The memory what Vader had done to Captain Oro slipped into her mind, and the alicorn shuddered slightly. “This man was one of Yorrick’s closest associates, and he may know something. Activate some of your agents. I want a tail placed on that speeder and the people inside it.”
“Are you certain, my lady? Is that not something of-”
“Do it, Major!” Luna hissed dangerously. “Or I may start believing that your heart isn’t in this.”
Despite the unease and the frustration that she could feel rolling off him, the man gave a formal military bow.
“As you wish, Lady Inquisitor.”
The hologram vanished.
Wind whipped by as the speeder zipped along, following a set route out of town. With Janus driving, the trio followed a little-used route beyond the city and into the countryside areas. They avoided straying from the designated paths, so as to minimize the chances of being noticed by traffic authorities. It was easy enough – Corulag played host to so many walkers and tracked vehicles that old-fashioned paved roads were still in use all across the planet.
It was only when they were almost three quarters of an hour past the city limits and deep enough into the countryside that the night sky was crisp and clear overhead that Twilight finally turned to Kersh. The old man was seated in the back seat, clutching his blaster close to his chest and cradling the wrapped holocron like it was his child. Despite the peace and quiet of the environment – even the speeder’s engine seemed more subdued out here – his eyes kept flicking from place and he looked jittery.
“So,” Twilight said, drawing his gaze. “Do you think you’d mind answering those questions now?”
“What questions? I don’t remember anything about questions.”
“…The questions we said we wanted to ask you before dropping you off?”
“Oh,” he blinked. “Now I remember. What can I do you for?”
“I’m sorry to have to ask about a sensitive subject,” Twilight began, “but we have no idea how much time we have. So I do need to get to the point. What do you know about the man Yorrick was with when he died and what they were doing together?”
“He and some of his buddies got a big score.” Kersh whispered. “Bragged about it to me, over sabacc and drinks. Said they were getting paid a fortune to smuggle some old junk from the Outer Rim to Corulag.”
“So what was he doing here?” she asked. “Why wasn’t he with… whoever else is in on it?”
“That’s the tricky bit. See, way they figured it, whoever wanted this stuff so badly, to pay so much for it and anonymity, they’d probably pay a little bit more, see?” He nodded a bit. “So they sent him on ahead. With a sample.” He stroked the blanket. “Don’t imagine he liked that none.”
“I doubt it myself,” Twilight muttered. “Was there anything else you knew about this deal? Or the man?”
“Never saw ‘em myself, but the way I heard it sounded like bad news. Didn’t want him taking my friend here, so I broke in after Yorrick… after Yorrick…” Kersh put a hand up to his mouth. A few tears trickled down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry for your friend,” Twilight said with utter sincerity. “We’ll do everything we can to make sure that neither that man or the Imperials get away with it.”
“Thanks,” he sniffed, wiping his eyes with a sleeve. “Knew him for almost fifteen years. I’ll miss that bastard.”
“I understand.” The princess nodded. “…Sorry to ask this, but is there anything else you might know about this? Anything at all?”
“Well…” the old man paused, rubbing his scruffy, unkempt beard. “Don’t know if it’ll help none, but I do know Yorrick and his partners had one landing pad they liked to use a lot. Might be they’re still planning on putting down there.”
“That’s exactly the kind of clue we were hoping for,” Twilight answered excitedly. “Please, by all means, tell us where that is.”
As Kersh did so, Twilight felt a slight vibration in her commlink. Even as the old man went on with the details about the smuggling crew’s favored spaceport and individual landing pad, she took a quick glance down at it. On the little device was a simple message, sent anonymously over encrypted channels.
The Empire has a tail on you. Watch the skies.