No, Serra thought. Serra thought. That"s not right. That"s not right. "He had hair?" "He had hair?" The black-armored man"s head was shaved. The black-armored man"s head was shaved.
"Yes. Hair like an animal"s. Long. Unkempt. Matted with blood."
An unthinkable suspicion was worming its way into Serra"s brain.
"Was he a big man?" she demanded, straining to keep the urgency from her voice. "Tall, I mean?"
The Ithorian shook his head. "No, not overly so. Not for a human."
The dark-armored man was a giant. At least as tall as you, Master Obba.
Oblivious to Serra"s inner turmoil, the Ithorian continued his tale. "The lightsabers of the fallen Jedi were found in Caleb"s camp; the Dark Lord had kept them as trophies. Master Tho"natu brought them back, along with the healer"s remains, so they could be laid to rest in a place of honor.
"This monument represents one of the greatest triumphs of the Jedi Order, but also one of its grimmest chapters. The Sith are no more, but only at the cost of many lives that will be sorely missed. This was the price we had to pay to rid the galaxy of the Sith forever."
Serra"s mind was churning, trying to put all the pieces together. She needed time to think, to figure it out. But she couldn"t do that here-not with her father"s name staring up at her from the stone. She needed to leave before she said or did something that would expose her secret and reveal her true ident.i.ty.
"You have given us a lot to think about, Master Obba," Serra said stiffly. "I will be sure to relay all of this to the king."
Master Obba cleared his throat apologetically. "I have every confidence you will do so, but I would still like to send one of my own people to investigate and see if the talismans are still there."
When Serra hesitated before answering, Lucia came to her rescue.
"What would be the point of that? I mean, if you"re right about Set Harth being the killer, wouldn"t he be long gone by now? He"s not going to hang around after he gets his hands on those talismans, right?"
"You are probably correct," the Jedi admitted after considering her words.
"Then I see no reason for the Jedi to follow up on this matter," Serra said, collecting herself enough to seize the opportunity Lucia"s quick thinking had provided her. "Given the delicate political situation on Doan, it would probably be best for all concerned if the investigations were conducted by the local authorities."
She could see the Ithorian wasn"t pleased with the arrangement, but he had been backed into a corner. Caught in the web of galactic politics, he was now helpless to take action without turning this into an official diplomatic incident-something the Senate would not look kindly on.
"If we learn any news about Set or the talismans," the princess promised, "you have my word that we will inform you right away."
"Thank you, Your Highness," the Ithorian replied with a stiff bow, only now realizing how he had been outmaneuvered.
Serra gave Master Obba a curt nod as a final farewell, then quickly turned to take her leave, anxious to return to the privacy of her shuttle. Lucia immediately fell into step beside her.
Neither of them spoke as they crossed the gardens to the waiting airspeeder; the silence continued as the speeder whisked them up and away, turning the buildings and swarming crowds of Coruscant into a blur beneath them. Serra was still thinking about the black-armored man from her nightmares. She knew her dreams were more than just memories or subconscious fears bubbling to the surface. Caleb had been neither Sith nor Jedi, yet he had believed in the natural power of life and the universe and had taught Serra to listen to the power within her, to draw on it when she needed wisdom, courage, or strength of spirit. Most important, he had taught her to trust her instincts.
In the same way Caleb had known that the black-armored man would return, Serra knew he was still alive. She knew he was somehow involved in her father"s murder. The Jedi who had come to Ambria had been tricked. She was certain of it. It wouldn"t have been hard; they wanted to believe the Sith were extinct. It was always easier to make people accept a lie they had hoped and wished for.
A plan began to form in Serra"s mind. For too many years, she had been tormented by the terrifying figure from her childhood. Now, with Caleb"s death as the catalyst, she was going to do something about it. She would avenge her father. She was going to find the black-armored man, and she was going to kill him.
She didn"t speak again until she and Lucia were alone on board the private shuttle that would take them back to Doan. Here she knew they were safe, that whatever was said would stay between the two of them. Even so, she wasn"t ready to confess everything. She would keep the secrets of her past-her father, her nightmares-a little longer yet.
"The a.s.sa.s.sin you hired. I need you to contact her again" was all she said. "I have another job for her."
CHAPTER SIX.
Set Harth had been on Doan for two days. He was determined not to still be here by the end of the third. In part, he wanted to be gone before any more Jedi showed up to investigate Medd"s death, or to try and claim the artifacts the Cerean had come for in the first place. But beyond that, Set was just sick of being surrounded by miners.
They were all beginning to look the same: squat and stout, their common thickness a result of generations spent at hard manual labor. Their skin was brown and weathered, not to mention caked with the dust and grime that hung over everything. They all had the same hair-short and dark-and they all wore the same clothes, drab and ratty. Even their features all looked the same: grim and sullen, despondent and broken by a lifetime of grinding in the quarries.
To say he didn"t fit in was the epitome of understatement. Set was thin and wiry, with long, silver hair flowing down over his shoulders. His skin was creamy white and unblemished by the elements; his handsome features conveyed a mischievous charm and just a touch of arrogance.
And, unlike the miners, Set dressed with style.
He wore a tailor-fitted combat suit, the material a shade somewhere between black and violet.
The lightweight outfit gave him full mobility, yet was also durable enough to afford some protection if, as so often happened around Set, events took a violent turn. Atop this he wore a pale yellow vest; both the combat suit and vest were sleeveless to leave his arms bare. A fashionable violet band of woven veda cloth encircled each ripped bicep, and his boots, belt, and fingerless gloves were made from the finest Corellian leather.
Typically he also carried a GSI-24D disruptor pistol holstered on his right thigh and a conventional blaster strapped to his left. Here on Doan, however, disruptors were banned, so he had tucked both weapons-along with his lightsaber-into the various pockets lining the inside of his vest.
It was obvious he didn"t belong with the rest of the crowd in the cantina, but Set wasn"t trying to blend in. It was common knowledge that mercenaries could find high-paying jobs here on Doan.
Set figured anyone who saw him would a.s.sume he was just one more soldier-of-fortune hoping to cash in on the escalating violence between the rebels and the n.o.bility.
They"d be wrong, of course. Set was here hoping to cash in, but it had nothing to do with Doan"s inevitable civil war. Less than a week ago his former colleague Medd Tandar had been on this world, and there was only one reason he would ever come to a pit like this.
Master Obba sent you here to find some dark side talisman, didn"t he? Only you got more than you bargained for. Always suspected you were soft. you bargained for. Always suspected you were soft.
Whatever Medd had come in search of, he had died before retrieving it. That meant the item was still here, just waiting for someone to claim it. Someone like Set.
For the past two days he had traveled the scarred surface of Doan, moving from one cantina, barracks, or work site to another. At each stop he asked questions, trying to find someone-anyone-who knew something about the Cerean who had been killed along with the rebel leaders. More importantly, he needed to find someone who knew what Medd had been looking for.
To anyone who asked, he explained that he was interested because he was a collector of rare artifacts. But the people here were wary. Some of them suspected he was working for the royal family. It wasn"t easy to get the answers he needed. Still, over the years Set had learned that everyone had their price...or their breaking point.
His investigations had led him here, to this nameless cantina owned by a Rodian bartender named Quano, one of only a handful of nonhumans who chose to try to make a living on Doan.
Eager to get away from the blowing dust clouds rolling across the surface, Set pushed open the door and entered the cantina. He immediately began to regret his decision. It was clear that the crowd in this particular establishment comprised the lowest dregs of Doan mining society. Most of the people here were bent and twisted; the hard-timers, hunchbacked and half crippled by a lifetime of digging up ore for the profit of others. Their clothes weren"t just shabby, but filthy, and the acrid stench of sweat and unwashed bodies nearly brought tears to his eyes. Exactly the kind of people Set would expect to find in a Rodian"s bar.
The furniture was as wretched and broken-down as the clientele: gla.s.ses disfigured by chips and cracks; discolored tabletops tottering on three rickety legs; rusting stools that looked as if they would crumble if given one good kick. Against the far wall was a long, wide bar covered by a slap-dash coat of peeling paint that did little to hide the rotting wood beneath. The row of bottles perched on the shelf behind the bar were covered in a thick layer of dirt and grime, but Set didn"t need to read the labels to guess they were all brands that readily sacrificed quality for price.
He noticed two heavyset thugs loitering on either side of the door and quickly sized them up: typical goons-big, strong, and stupid. He could tell from the awkward way they stood that each had a small pistol jammed down the front of his respective belt.
Leaning against the wall behind the bar was the green-skinned proprietor himself, his arms crossed in front of his chest. His insect-like eyes glared at Set from across the room, his tapir-like snout twisted into what the former Jedi could only a.s.sume was meant to be a sneer.
Ignoring the uninviting greeting, Set made his way slowly toward the Rodian. Two dozen eyes gave him the once-over as he pa.s.sed the bar, their collective gaze cold, appraising, and ultimately uncaring as the owners turned their attention back to the brackish sludge swirling around in their mugs.
"Bar for miners only," Quano muttered in heavily accented Galactic Basic once Set was close enough to rest an elbow on the bar. "You not drink. Go away."
Set reached out and casually dropped a pair of hundred-credit chips on the counter. The Rodian tried to act nonchalant, but Set could sense that he was suddenly holding his breath.
"I was hoping we could have a little chat," Set told him, getting right to the point. "Alone."
In a flash the chips disappeared and Quano was standing on top of the bar.
"Cantina closed!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Time to go! Back to work! Everybody out!"
Most of the crowd rose grudgingly from their seats, muttering darkly as they shuffled to the door.
One stubborn soul stayed sitting, doing his best to keep his wobbly chair from being knocked over by the other patrons heading for the exit. The bartender clapped his hands together twice, and the bouncers by the door quickly moved in.
They grabbed the man, each one seizing an arm, and yanked him from the chair. Too drunk to even struggle, the customer hung like deadweight between the two hulking brutes, his feet dragging limply on the floor as they forcibly ushered him out. Upon reaching the exit, the bouncers rocked their human cargo back and forth several times in a surprising display of coordinated effort, building momentum before hurling him through the doorway and onto the hard ground outside. It would have been a lie for Set to say he wasn"t impressed by the distance they achieved.
With the last customer gone, one of the bouncers slammed the door and latched it shut. Then they both turned to face Set, grinning as they resumed leaning against the wall on either side of the room"s only exit.
Set couldn"t help but admire the Rodian"s utter and complete lack of subtlety. Most proprietors would have invited Set into a back room to chat rather than shutting down their entire establishment for only two hundred credits. Judging by the general decor, however, the establishment was barely profitable.
Not that Set really cared. He wasn"t trying to keep a low profile. He was used to leaving memorable stories in his wake; if anyone ever came to investigate he would be long gone, so what did it matter if he had another tale to add to his legend? Over time the details would inevitably become exaggerated, and one day people would marvel at how Set had been so wealthy that he had paid thousands of credits to shut down an entire cantina just so he could speak to the owner.
"n.o.body bother us now," Quano said from behind him, hopping back down onto the floor. "You want drink?"
"I"m a collector interested in rare artifacts," Set replied, ignoring the question and cutting right to the chase. He wanted to spend as little time here as possible. "Rings. Amulets. That kind of thing."
Quano shrugged. "Why you tell Quano?"
"Word around the camp is you sometimes have these kinds of items for sale."
The cupped antennae on the bartender"s head twitched ever so slightly. "Maybe," he whispered, leaning forward so Set could hear him. "Miner finds things. Him wants to sell it offworld. Maybe Quano help him."
"Then this is your lucky day," Set replied, somehow managing to flash a dazzling smile despite the pungent aroma of alien pheromones wafting off the Rodian. "Like I said-I"m a collector. A wealthy collector."
Quano cast a quick glance around the empty room, almost as if he expected someone to be listening in on their conversation. Set recognized it as a nervous reflex developed after years of making shady deals in public places.
"What you interested in?"
"I think you know what I"m looking for. The same thing as the last collector who came here. The Cerean."
"Him not collector. Him Jedi. You Jedi, too?"
Set sighed. This was going to drive the price up. Never did understand the value of keeping a low Never did understand the value of keeping a low profile, did you, Medd? profile, did you, Medd?
"Do I look like a Jedi?"
The Rodian tilted his head from one side to the other before answering. "No. Look more like bounty hunter."
"Does it really matter? I want to buy what you"re selling. And I"ve got plenty of credits...if you"ve got the merchandise."
"Stuff not here. Quano just middle-being. Miner have it."
"Can you take me to whoever has it?"
Quano shook his head. "Miner change his mind. Not for sale no more."
"Everyone has a price. I"m a wealthy man. If you take me to him, I"m sure we can come to some agreement."
Another shake of the head. "Last time Quano take someone to meet miners, everyone end up dead. Too risky."
"I"m willing to take that chance."
The Rodian snorted. "Quano not care about risk for you. Miners say if Quano show up again, they kill him."
"They don"t have to know you were involved," Set promised. "Just show me where to find them.
I"ll make it worth your while."
To emphasize his point he produced his small drawstring purse, reached in, and pulled out an entire handful of high-value chips. He held them up for Quano to look at before letting them spill through his fingers back into the satchel.
The Rodian"s tongue poked out and swirled around his snout, his reluctance to take Set to the miners doing battle with his greed.
"You pay one-no, two-thousand, yes?"
"Seven hundred. Or I go find someone else who can help me."
"Okay, deal," the bartender blurted out, unwilling to barter for fear he might let a small fortune slip through his fingers.
To seal the deal, he extended his hand. Gritting his teeth Set returned the gesture. He clasped the other"s palm for one quick shake then pulled back, mildly repulsed by the feel of the Rodian"s scaly skin against his own.
"You have drink to celebrate," Quano declared. "On the house."
"Pa.s.s," Set replied.
"You got credits with you, right?" the bartender wanted to know. "You pay now, right?"
Set nodded. "I"ll pay you as soon as we go."
"We go now. Quano just grab something first."
As the Rodian ducked back behind the bar, Set realized there was something off about his voice.
Too eager.
So it"s going to be like that, is it?
Slipping his hand into his vest, the Dark Jedi whipped out his lightsaber. He ignited it as Quano popped back up into view, just in time to deflect the bolt from the blaster pistol that was now pointing at him. The Rodian let out a shriek of surprise and disappeared back behind the cover of the bar.
He"d dealt with Quano"s type before. Set would have been perfectly content to honor the terms of their agreement, but the Rodian had obviously come up with a different plan. Why risk your life and take someone to a hidden base for seven hundred credits when you can murder him in cold blood and take all his money instead?
Set respected the sentiment; after all, he lived by similar self-serving principles. But the bartender had made an unforgivable error by trying to use those principles against a Dark Jedi.
Keeping one eye on the bar, Set turned to face the two burly miners guarding the door. They had probably been expecting Quano"s betrayal, but they were caught completely off guard by the failure of his plan. Now the grins had fallen from their faces, and they were clumsily scrambling to draw their own weapons.