Star Wars: Traits Of Descent

by Madman007

  Chapter Four

  The planetary system of Vesper - The home of T'ryas Dane

  "Are you sure this is the place?" Corran asked Luke as he came up beside him after he paid the air-taxi.

  "Unless Karrde's coordinates are incorrect."

  Corran checked the datapad again. "They're not. Does this look like the home of a former Black Sun employee to you?"

  "He's probably using it for obscurity." Luke stared at the run-down shack that stood before him. It was well outside of the city perimeters. "Looks like the perfect hiding place."

  "Right. This would be the last place anybody would look. Black Sun certainly didn't leave any kind of severance pay. I don't know, Luke. Don't know what we can find here."

  Luke stated calmly as if he were talking to one of his students, "It has been my experience that looks can be deceiving. Come on, let's get this over with."

  The two men approached a rusted door that looked like it would fall down with so many cracks in the permacrete. Luke chimed the alert. It took a few moments before the door slid open with a shrieking metal on metal sound. In the doorway stood an elderly man of at least a century old. He had wrinkled skin, his head bent down at the neck from back problems, and he walked with a cane. He wore the thickest spectacles that Luke had ever seen. Before either of the them could greet him, the man spoke first.

  "You Karrde's men?"

  Corran answered, "We're not his men. But, we are in need of your assistance."

  Luke spoke their greeting. "I am Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and this is Corran Horn. I assume you are T'ryas Dane."

  "All my life. So far. I wait for you since Karrde tell me you were coming. I was busy digging up old holovids from my old employer, Black Sun. Come in." He turned back inside as Luke and Corran followed. Luke detected an accent that was definitely not Coruscanti. His speech pattern was more relative to a Neimoidian with a higher pitch.

  The inside was not any better looking than the outside. Pieces of flimsi, broken equipment, and other nondescript debris were scattered randomly. They came through a small kitchen off of an even smaller hallway. T'ryas ended up in a small room beyond the kitchen.

  As Luke entered, he muttered to Corran, "And I thought the Falcon was a mess."

  Corran added, "I've seen garbage mashers cleaner than this." He stopped in front of T'ryas within definite earshot and quickly said, "But, it's still lovely."

  "It is not much, but is suitable. Here, sit." They sat on an old sofa that had seen better days as T'ryas stood. The man said, "I'm afraid I don't have refreshment."

  Luke said, "That's all right. Thank you." On the other side of the room, he spotted a large shelf full of nothing but holovids. They were too numerous to count, but Luke estimated at least five hundred. "Are those all holovids of Black Sun?"

  "Oh, yes. I collected them after the suicide pact. I had access to them in their headquarters on Coruscant. There are vids of secret meetings, unofficial transcripts of various cases, and many other sensitive materials. They were all placed in my protection. After Xizor died Black Sun never fully recovered. Even the Black Nebula didn't last long."

  Luke and Corran gave a knowing glance since they knew who essentially ended Black Nebula. Luke asked, "How did you end up out here on Vesper?"

  "I gathered all the incriminating evidence and took off to the farthest and most obscure system I could find."

  "Mission accomplished," Corran noted.

  T'ryas seemed to ignore him. "Yes, everything you want to know about Black Sun is on that shelf. Karrde sometimes contacts me for information and pays handsomely. He seemed to believe that I could help you too. Do not worry, I am charging this through Karrde."

  "That's great," Corran quipped.

  T'ryas leaned forward on his cane. "I have suspicion this is about murders on Nal Hutta a few days ago."

  Corran snapped, "How did you know that?"

  "I do have HoloNet. I'm not fully out of touch here."

  "Of course not," Luke said. "We are looking for something about an unofficial employee. An assassin. One who we believe may be connected to the murders."

  "There is much on assassins on the vids. Mostly payments made to rogues. What is assassin's name?"

  Corran stated, "Skarce Voxan."

  The old man's eyes popped from behind the thick glasses, which made them look as large as plates. "Voxan? You really think he has anything to do with this? He would be so old by now. Older than me even." He chuckled.

  Luke asked, "Would you have any vids with him on it?"

  "Hmm...Voxan was hard to capture. Never did business on premises. Except there was one time he did come to be paid and receive instruction."

  Corran said, "That would be rare."

  "If memory serves, I believe his next assignment had to be told in person."

  "What was it?" Corran asked.

  T'ryas looked embarrassed. "I don't remember. But, I find vid for you." He went to the large shelf and for the next several minutes, the old man searched frantically for the correct holovid. In between his failures, he expressed his frustration in calls of, "No. Not this one. Ah, here...no."

  Corran eventually leaned into Luke and muttered, "I think Mirax can decide on what dress to wear out faster than he can find a vid."

  Luke replied, "You must have been absent when I was teaching about patience at the Academy."

  Finally, T'ryas exclaimed, "Ahh, yes. Here it is." He went over to an ancient model of holoprojector that Luke had last seen in an Anchorhead junk shop. T'ryas announced, "I'm not sure of quality. I do not think Voxan can be seen. Even when he knew of recording, he disguised himself or made sure his image was obscure. He was smart fellow."

  "And sick one, too," Corran added.

  T'ryas said sadly, "Yes, I know." He inserted the vid in the projector and there was a stuttering blue-white image of a small office. When it cleared, they could see two men sitting opposite each other at a small conference table. The holocam must have been in the high corner of the ceiling due to the overhead view of the men. The man farthest from them had light brown hair wearing a professional suit. The image was grainy, but they could make out a Black Sun insignia on his suit pocket. It was too unfocused for them to identify the man. The man closest to them had his back to the camera. All that could be seen of him was his dark tunic worn tight and the back of his black hair. This had to be Skarce Voxan.

  T'ryas hit the pause button as he raised the volume. "Is not good sound."

  "What is this? Where are they? "Corran questioned.

  "This is, I believe, Conference Room B."

  "What are they doing there?" Corran continued.

  "Is better to find out nature of talk by listening, I think."

  "Took the words out of my mouth, T'ryas," Luke uttered and eying Corran.

  T'ryas hit play and the men's conversation began.

  The Black Sun rep said, "It's not a question of accomplishment. We could all see the results of your mission and my clients are pleased."

  "But...," Voxan said in a surprisingly soft even tone.

  "But...did you have to attract the attention of the HoloNet?"

  "You're questioning my methods?" Voxan stated.

  "I'm not. And my clients don't care how the job is done." The rep leaned on the table closer to Voxan. "What they do care about is unwanted attention. They need their privacy for a reason. They believe that is part of your payment."

  "Don't give me that. What I did will never be linked back to them. I made sure of that. As I always do. If they don't feel confident with me, they can find someone else."

  "It's not that. You just made it so...messy."

  "The messier the better."

  "I must say that does make you very efficient. Despite your...interests in your targets, shall we say, you are one kriffing good assass..."

  Voxan slammed his hand down on the permasteel table. "Two things. One, don't ever describe my work in the open. Especially when there's a holocam in the room. Secon
d...let's watch the swearing."

  The image of the rep was too grainy to see, but Luke would have guessed that the man gulped.

  "Very well."

  Voxan exclaimed, "This meeting was not my idea. I don't like doing this in person, as you and your clients well know. Where's my payment?"

  The rep reached inside his suit to produce a small flimsi packet. He slid it towards Voxan.

  Voxan picked it up and said, "You know you always use my untraceable credit accounts for this. Why was this meeting necessary?"

  "Because of your next assignment. Look in the packet."

  Voxan did and found another piece of flimsi, which he read. "This is it? All of them?"

  "That is what it says."

  "This is about that trial a few years back, isn't it?"

  "I cannot confirm that."

  Voxan chuckled. "Sure it is. Otherwise you wouldn't have given it to me in person. I knew retribution would be coming to them eventually."

  "We don't consider it retribution. This is an elimination of a problem."

  "I don't eliminate anything. I clean up things after they eliminate themselves. Where can this problem be found?"

  "Actually, we're not sure. We finally have some leads after two years. You'll have to decide which is the better one. That is part of your problem. The Jedi hid them well."

  "Won't be a problem at all, then." Voxan stood. "We're done talking. This will be the last time for a live meeting. Use my account next time with the same networks. They're all encrypted and secure."

  "We couldn't take that chance on this one. The trial was highly public. You understand."

  Voxan nodded. "Oh, and another thing. Make sure that vid is destroyed."

  "It will be done."

  "Make sure, or if I see my face on the HoloNet from this meeting I'll know which problem will need cleaning next. You understand."

  "Y...yes, Skarce."

  Suddenly, Voxan grabbed the rep by the collar and drug him across the table. He spoke in an icy tone. "Do not ever call me by name. Or I will be cleaning a problem in this room now." Voxan threw the man on the table and reached into his tunic for something. Voxan turned and raised his arm to throw what looked like a vibroblade directly at the holovid. The image ended abruptly in a field of blue-white snow.

  Corran retorted, "What a cheery fellow."

  "Wait!" Luke shouted. "Go back and pause right before he throws the blade."

  It took a few tries, but T'ryas finally stopped it where Luke wanted.. Before them was an image of Skarce Voxan's face. His hairline was balding in the front, and his brooding eyes were deeply set. He grew a cleanly shaven black goatee similar to Karrde's but more full. He was medium height. With his soft, yet demanding voice, and his plain physical looks, he didn't seem intimidating to Luke. He glanced over at Corran and saw that he was glued to the screen. It was just like he said. Someone who looked so normal could be the most intimidating.

  Corran found his voice in saying, "Behold, the face of a true monster."

  "He's certainly charming. Wonder what that rep meant about the Jedi hiding them well. Who is them?"

  Corran said, "It's obvious, Luke. That was his next assignment. It would have to be more than one target."

  "But why did the Jedi hide them?"

  "The Deponent Security Program. And the trial they mentioned. That would fit."

  Luke turned toward T'ryas. "Do you know anything about that?"

  "Yes. Seems I remember something about it. People in Black Sun would talk about it and always cursing it." He chuckled.

  Corran asked, "How did it work exactly?"

  T'ryas explained, "It set up new identities for people who had to stand trial against any organization that was known to take revenge on them. Namely, Black Sun. It would give them new idents to undisclosed systems. But, the program only lasted a few years."

  "What happened?" Luke asked.

  "There was a whole family who were put into the program when it first started. The husband witnessed a murder committed by a Vigo. He testified and sent the Vigo to the Kessel mines. The Jedi's program sent the husband and his family into the galaxy to be never heard from again."

  Luke supplied with, "But Voxan found them somehow."

  T'ryas said sadly, "Yes. A few years later."

  Luke thought of something and asked T'ryas, "Is there a date on that vid?"

  The old man took the vid out and read on the side, "It says '23."

  Corran noted, "That's a year before Geonosis. Before the Clone Wars."

  "When did the Deponent Program start?" Luke asked T'ryas.

  "Oh, I'd say about ''25, '26."

  Luke figured, "And the rep said they finally got leads two years later. Voxan's next target may have been that same family who were murdered. I wish we could see the Jedi's version of the case."

  "Ah," exclaimed T'ryas, "I think I can help you there. If you pardon me, I search for a vid you need to see."

  As the old man went into search mode for another holovid, Corran nudged Luke and uttered, "You want to go out to get some lunch?"

  Luke crinkled his brow and said, "Not exactly the best time, Corran."

  Corran shrugged and stated, "I'm just saying we could go into the city, grab a bite to eat, come back, and he will have found the vid by then."

  Luke quietly chuckled. "Or we could start that list of Black Sun enemies."

  "We could count how many arguments that Han and Leia have had since their marriage."

  "Oh, Corran, that project would take years. I'm sure T'ryas can find the vid before then."

  As if on cue, T'ryas exclaimed, "Ah ha! I knew I had it."

  "See? What is it?"

  "It is recording of a HoloNet announcement by a Jedi Council member to end the Deponent Program."

  "This is a recording of a Jedi?" questioned Corran.

  "Yes. He describes the family's death and is very emotional."

  "Emotional? Not what I pictured an Old Republic Jedi to be."

  "What's the date on that?" Luke interjected.

  "Uh...'22."

  "A year apart?" asked Corran.

  "Not exact. The vid we see with Voxan was at end of '23. This vid is dated at start of '22."

  "So, it's a difference of a few months at least."

  Luke said, "Let's hear what it says."

  T'ryas put the vid in and as soon as the image of the Jedi appeared, Luke felt both shock and pleasant surprise.

  "Obi Wan!"

  Corran squinted at the image. "You sure? Looks kind of young."

  Luke turned to Corran with his own version of Han's lopsided grin. "In '22, he would look younger, wouldn't he?"

  Corran grinned sheepishly. "I guess so."

  Luke stared at the image of a young Obi Wan Kenobi. He was in his heyday as a Jedi back then. He still wore his goatee the same way. His hair, though, was much longer in the back and was a honey-brown, not the ash-gray that Luke remembered.

  T'ryas played the vid and Luke heard the voice of Obi Wan for the first time in many years.

  "This is Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi reporting for the Jedi Council on a motion to dissolve the Deponent Security Program."

  Hearing Kenobi's voice again brought back so many memories for Luke. This was the voice that would persuade him to become a Jedi, like his father before him.

  You must do what you feel is right, he would tell an eighteen-year-old Tatooine farm boy decades after this recording was made. His eyes were less sad, Luke noticed. Of course they were. This was before the Clone Wars. It was also before his best friend would betray him and the Jedi. Luke shook off the his emotions and focused on Obi Wan.

  "There was a tragedy that happened a standard week ago which was unforeseen as a result of the Deponent Program. The Helan family had been murdered by an unknown assailant. Ghil and Abri Helan were found dead with several burn marks and heavy contusions that suggests they were tortured before their deaths. Their fingernails had been torn off, and Abri's eyes...her eye
s were gorged out. Indications are that this had been done while they were still alive. And the children..." Obi Wan paused to catch his strength. "The children...were burned to death...beyond recognition. By the position of their bodies, it has been suggested that they were burned alive. All three of them." Obi Wan swallowed. "I am reporting this event to support the dissolution of my own Deponent Program. As it has been successful in some cases, it has failed in too many others. It's weakness was in the numbers of participants. The successes involved only one or two people whom we had to displace. In the case of the Helans, we tried to displace an entire family of five. In the words of my Padawan, Anakin, we bit off more than we could chew.

  "A Black Sun operative had somehow found out the undisclosed location of where the Helans went. No one in the Council knew for that purpose. I suspect the leak had been through the transit records from two years ago. It must have taken a large amount of credits to uncover that information. It points to the reason why it took this long to find them. It will have to be investigated when time permits. We already have a name of a possible assassin. However, we are now on the brink of war with the Separatists. We will have to forgo this investigation now to address the current threats against the Republic."

  Obi Wan shifted in his seat and breathed out. "I wish to add a supplemental comment in retrospect of these events. I realize that this is unprecedented in submissions such as this. I need for this to be on record. I have only found out about the Helans in the past twenty-four hours. Anakin and I had just returned from a mission yesterday involving the Outbound Flight Project. I have yet to inform Anakin about the Helans' deaths. He is very emotional when it comes to death of people he knows, which clouds his focus on the Force at times. But, that is another matter."

  Luke thought of how hard it would have been for Obi Wan to train his father as a teenager. Obi Wan continued.

  "Whether anyone has heard of the Helans or not, I need for it to be said that they were the among the bravest people I had ever known. They were thrust into a bad situation at the wrong time. They accepted what needed to be done. This speaks to the evidence of their courage. They eventually paid for that courage with their lives. None of them deserved the manner of their deaths." Obi Wan sighed again.

  "As a Jedi, I am taught to allow their deaths to become part of the Force. They have moved on to another plane of existence. I will mourn them as a Jedi and let them go." Another pause. "As a human man...I cannot let go of how their deaths were dealt. I will never forget those images. That was their cost for a new life. And I played a role in getting them their new life. I will not; however, blame myself for their demise. I blame the organization that called for their deaths out of vengeance. That is not the Jedi way, but it still happens in this galaxy. Perhaps the Force had a higher purpose for the Helans than being mortals in a violent society."

  Obi Wan placed his forefinger under the bridge of his nose, which was a gesture that Luke had been familiar with. His mentor went on. "I will never again place innocent citizens in dangerous situations as I had many times in this program. This program places people like the Helans in risks that they should never have to face. The innocents have enough problems to worry about. Therefore, I make a motion to end the Deponent Security Program as soon as it is possible. In conclusion, it is with a heavy heart that I honor the memory of Ghil, Abri, Pap, Cho, and little Alexhi. May I greet you again within the Force. End of transmission."

  The image disappeared.

  Corran could tell Luke was in a temporary reminiscent daze, so he started questioning T'ryas himself. "This was broadcast over the HoloNet?"

  "Yes. I think it was a closed-circuit feed."

  "Why would Black Sun have a copy of something like this?"

  "I don't know. It was in their collection."

  "A collection that you should know what was on it. What was your position title in Black Sun, T'ryas?"

  The old man straightened as much as he could and gave a smug look to say, "If there was a mess, so to speak, I was in charge of cleaning it up."

  Awakened from his daze, Luke caught on to the conversation. "You mean like Internal Affairs?"

  "Not exactly. I was more in charge of..."

  "The custodial arts," Corran cut in.

  "What?" Luke exasperated.

  Corran explained his theory. "He didn't collect all of these holovids as an employee of Black Sun. He found them in the trash while he worked as a janitor for buildings on Coruscant. That vid we just watched would have never been shown to the public. It was intended for the Jedi Council. And it would certainly not have been in the hands of Black Sun members."

  Luke and Corran felt the embarrassment exuding from T'ryas Dane. Luke wanted him to admit it himself. "Is this true, T'ryas?"

  The man gave a defeating sigh. "More or less. I keep higher status up for Karrde. He pays me for information on vids."

  Corran glanced around the messy home. "He must not pay you much."

  "What he pays me I buy food."

  Corran went further. "And if he knew you were a lowly janitor with no knowledge other than the holovids, he would drop payments to you in a heartbeat."

  The old man's eyes went wide again. "You not tell him?"

  Luke and Corran looked at each other and Corran shrugged. Luke said, "No. We won't ruin your reputation and livelihood. I suspect you can profit well selling these vids to the right person. You did help us."

  Corran stood up. "And on that cue, I think we should be leaving. Thank you, T'ryas Dane. It has been an experience."

  "You are most welcome, Corran Horn. I will continue search for vids that may help you. I will contact you if I find one."

  "No," Luke stated, "you'll contact Karrde. We won't let you go hungry. One thing though. Is it possible for us to keep these two holovids?"

  "Of course, of course," T'ryas chimed. Then he formed a mischievous smirk. "For a small profit."

  New Republic Shuttle Space Run

  "Even the Jedi have been known to go back on their promises."

  "Huh?" asked Corran as he was preparing launch procedures.

  "I was just reciting his words. The ones our killer gave Lohl Ch'la to read. I wonder what he has against the Jedi?"

  "Now that we know the Jedi have an indirect link to the trial and a few of Voxan's targets, I'm thinking it could be a distant relative of the Helans."

  "And this relative would have the skills and knowledge of an assassin?"

  "They could learn. Could be why it's taken so long to start mowing down Black Sun Vigos."

  "Lohl wasn't a Vigo. And he had nothing to do with the Helan trial. I read that bio of him you got off the HoloNet. He entered the Deponent Program in late '25. He was already on Lianna with a new name before the time of the Helans' murder. And a relative just learning about the ways of an assassin? You can't just one day decide to learn that. You have to live it first. There would have to be more meaning to it than simple revenge. That's usually why acts of revenge fail so often. They forget to dig that second grave."

  Corran put in, "And you can scratch off Voxan training someone to take his place. One of the stories my father told me was once Voxan did have a partner. He made a drastic mistake that could have costed Voxan his life. Voxan punished him by gutting out his stomach and feeding him to a herd of gundarks. The ex-partner was still alive when the gundarks feasted on him."

  "He's making Palpatine look like an Ewok."

  "I keep telling you, we may be in over our heads on this one. Biting off more than we can chew, like your father said."

  "If this is the same person, or the same type of person..."

  "Or the same type of monster. I got the feeling that Obi Wan knew exactly where to start his search. The problem was that a pesky war broke out, as well as watching his best friend and student go down the Dark Side path. He never had the chance to look into Voxan further."

  "I wonder if there were any reports of Voxan's murders after the Helans?"

  "Probably. It'
s all speculative, like Karrde said. We could never prove anything."

  "Maybe. I still think we have the advantage if we encounter someone like Voxan. We have the Force. He doesn't."

  "And how do we know that?"

  "He threw that man on the table. And he threw the blade at the camera. If he had Force powers, why didn't he use them?"

  "Maybe he didn't want it known?"

  "No."

  "Luke, this man made an art out of killing. This is insanity that you are not prepared for."

  "I am the Jedi Master. I believe I can be prepared for anything."

  "You sure about that?"

  Luke gave a long pause. He muttered in a weak voice, "Not lately."

  Corran made himself busy for a moment to blast out of Vesper's atmosphere and into orbit. "Any ideas where we're headed?"

  Luke said, "Keep it on low sublight around Vesper for now while we decide."

  There was a long silence between them for several minutes before Corran said, "Seeing Obi Wan brought you back to reality, didn't it?"

  "Is it that obvious?"

  "Well, seeing as how you paid way too much for those vids to T'ryas I'd say yes."

  "We needed the Voxan holovid for identification. It could very well be the only image of him that exists today. And the other holo was special to me."

  "Didn't pick you as the sentimental type, Luke."

  "As I always say, I'm full of surprises. Obi Wan was a wise man."

  "No argument there."

  "He was the one who introduced me to the Force."

  "I know. That's not what's bothering you though."

  "See, I did teach you well. I wouldn't say bother. It's more introspective than anything. Can you imagine how much more different the Jedi would be today if Obi Wan hadn't died?"

  "As I understand history, he sacrificed himself so you could escape. If he hadn't, we wouldn't have had any Jedi today. Including you."

  "I know. Just seeing Obi Wan in his early days made me think of what little the Jedi of today have accomplished. Sometimes...I doubt if I am the right person to lead."

  "Why, you ignorant little kunta. Can you tell me of another Jedi who could have done any better than you're doing now? And in such short time? You are stronger than you believe, Jedi Master. Every one of your students look up to you. Especially after recent events. The older Jedi look up to you, too." Corran took a moment to add, "That includes me."

  Luke smiled gently and tried to say, "Corran, I..."

  "Do you know what I think of when I'm faced with tough decisions or seemingly impossible situations? I ask myself, what would Luke do? Your teachings during my time at your Academy helped me get through what happened to me and Mirax in the past year. More than you will ever know."

  There was more silence until Luke expressed, "Thank you, Corran."

  "Don't mention it."

  "No, I really mean thank you."

  "And I really mean don't mention it. If word of my confession to you gets to Rouge Squadron, I will have to behead you."

  "Understood. Now, we'd better take a look at that list of current Vigos and figure out our killer's next move."

  Corran suddenly dripped sarcasm. "Gee, it would be so nice to consult an ex-assassin on this. What better way to gain perspective on another assassin's motives?"

  "Actually, I think it is time to consult Mara on this."

  "What? Not acting defensive with the mention of Mara Jade? What have you done with the real Luke Skywalker?"

  "Shut up. I would think my self-doubt would have given my true identity away."

  "Relax, Luke. That's just who you are. Nobody can take that away from you."

  "You don't mind if I talk to her here?"

  "Why would I mind? Besides, now that your confidence is high, you can lower it again by talking to Mara."

  Luke sat in front of the holoprojector. He placed the call to the Jade's Fire. Within a few moments, a ten-inch blue-white image of Mara Jade sitting at her ship's controls appeared.

  "Yes? Ah, Farmboy. Karrde told me you might be contacting me. I read your case. Chasing down a killer of scum in the galaxy. Not enough action at your Academy anymore?"

  Luke ignored her quips and said, "Hi, Mara. We do need your input on this. There's more information to add."

  Mara sighed and groaned. "I knew it. Look, Skywalker, I'm not going to stop what I'm doing to go traipsing around the galaxy to investigate the deaths of trash."

  "Mara, we have a vigilante making his own justice."

  "Good for him."

  "And he's using a lightsaber. A Jedi needs to investigate this."

  "Then what do you need me for?"

  Luke shut his eyes, cringing that he played right into her hands with his phrasing.

  She went on. "You already have Corran Horn. He's used to investigating."

  "So are you."

  "That's not the only reason you need me, is it?"

  "Well...no. You may have input that neither I nor Corran can provide."

  "Let me guess. Your killer is showing skills of an assassin."

  "How did you know?" Corran asked from the pilot's seat.

  Mara shrugged. "I read your report."

  Corran burst out, "How did you get a copy of our report? We didn't leave one with Karrde."

  Mara's image flashed on Luke. "Wanna take that one, Farmboy?"

  Luke admitted sheepishly, "I sent Mara a copy after we left Karrde. Just as a precaution."

  Corran smiled and turned to look out ahead through the viewscreen. He added a barely audible, "Uh huh."

  Luke addressed Mara's image. "What else could you tell from the report?"

  "Do you know how to kill a WeeQuay instantly? Their hearts are located in their lower abdomen. Right where your killer stuck them."

  Corran called out, "What about the Defel? He couldn't have gotten that lucky."

  "He didn't," Mara replied. "Meeko said there was a flash of light. Probably a cave strobe that the killer adjusted for one quick burst. You get that near a Defel and they go blind."

  Luke added in realization, "Because a wraith bends light to appear invisible."

  Mara said, "If you supply too much light waves, there's nothing to bend."

  "So this guy is an assassin," Corran announced.

  "I wouldn't say that. He's a professional, for sure. But, this guy is out for vengeance. Plus, assassins don't take the time to torture their targets. Especially, a Vigo. I've checked my sources, and there are no contracts out on any Vigo, former or current, right now."

  Luke said, "The problem is that we don't know which Vigo would be next."

  "The last Vigo was on Nal Hutta, right?"

  "Actually, there's been another death since. Probably wasn't officially connected to the murders on Nal Hutta. We know it's the same killer."

  "How do you know?"

  "He had the last victim send us a message. The victim read off a message to us."

  "That's strange. Who was the victim? Another Vigo? No, that would have been on the HoloNet."

  Corran answered, "He was nobody. Someone who spit in Black Sun's face fifty years ago and got away with it. We're not sure how he's connected yet."

  Luke added, "And Mara, he wasn't tortured. He was poisoned."

  Mara nodded. "Means the killer considered his death an honor. No pain. What did the message say?"

  Luke said, "It was a warning. He'll -go on killing members of Black Sun and no one can stop him. Not even the Jedi."

  "He mentioned the Jedi?"

  "Yes. We just got new data that links them."

  "Where was this victim poisoned?"

  "Lianna."

  Mara seemed to consider something and then ordered, "Then head to Rhen Var. There's a former Vigo living there."

  Corran started, "How do you..."

  Luke stopped him. "Corran, it's Mara. Doesn't that seem too easy for him to announce his next target that close to his last one?"

  "It does," Mara said. "I'd be carefu
l. He's baiting you. The mentioning of the Jedi might as well have been an invitation."

  Luke dared to say, "You know, Mara, with your sources and your background, you could..."

  "Stop right there, Skywalker. I'll be glad to give you some input now and then, but I'm not interrupting my duties to Karrde."

  "Did Karrde tell you that we have a name?"

  "You have a suspect already?"

  "More like a lead. It was Karrde who gave us the name. I'm sure he'll understand if you wanted to help us."

  "Who says I want to? And a name wasn't in your report."

  "It's not a name I wanted to announce even in an encrypted report."

  "You're safe with my encryption codes. What's the name?"

  "Skarce Voxan."

  Ever since Luke met Mara Jade, he had only seen her rendered speechless a few times. This was one of them. Her face was blank and silent. Luke could forget trying to pry into her mind without consequences. She fell so silent that he had to ask, "Mara?"

  After a beat, she looked at him and said, "I'm in. I'll meet you in the Rhen Var system."

  * * * * *