3-15 MAKER OF DREAMS

It takes Doctor Neen about a quarter-hour longer to finish packing and preparing, and by the time he’s done, the first of the CorSec officers are arriving. With their help, Tlin and the other, more mysterious, patient, are loaded up and sent to a nearby medical center.

It is surprising, however, that Tlin has still not woken up; not even when being moved. Similarly, neither did the other patient and you wonder out loud to Master Lasah if the droid did anything to them.

“It is possible,” she says. “I am still unsure of how I did not see the droid coming. Actually, let me rephrase that. I was, of course, aware of its position and its movement, but I felt no threat of it. The Force did not warn me of any danger until it was already too late. It is almost as if something is shrouding the Force at the moment, and it is indeed very disconcerting. So, yes; it is possible the droid did something that I was not aware of, and that disturbs me greatly.”

“I didn’t see anything either, Master. But, that’s probably because I was so focused on Doctor Neen at the time.”

“Yes… I am glad you are unhurt. Your reaction was quite good — harnessing the Force so quickly and strongly at your age is a positive sign. In fact, you have put up a much better showing today than I. Good work, Xena.”

You nod, smiling at the praise. “Thank you.”

Though, something does niggle at you now that you have the time to think. What was that gathering of warpstuff when you were about to push? The warp seeped into the Materium, collecting into a dense ball of energy before you. You’d felt it too. It had started at the edge of your senses, but suddenly directed itself into the core of your being. A rush of wild and feverish power.

It felt raw. Dangerous. Terrifying. Chaotic, and so much more, but most of all, disagreeable. It had fallen apart just before you could use it.

Use it for what? You’re not sure, but you have your suspicions.

It does remind you of one thing, however. Your telepathy. At times, at the instant before you reach out and make contact with someone, you can feel a hint of the same power. You’d not noticed before, but now that you have something to compare it to, you can now recognize it.

This power can be harnessed, in a similar way to your telepathy.

Maybe.

You turn toward Doctor Neen. He stands off to the side, looking up past his clinic. Ah, right. He lives in the residential complex, so he might have some items he wishes to retrieve. You walk toward him with Master Lasah close behind. As you approach, you purposely scuff your boot against the ground, drawing his attention.

“Master Lasah. Xena. I’m almost ready. Do you think I have enough time to grab something from my apartment?”

Master Lasah gives a small nod, prompting him to give a word of thanks before he rushes off. He leaves behind a couple bags of gear, most of which look rather expensive. Scalpels, scanners, and what appears to be a small vat of bacta are among the equipment here. He’s not the most well supplied medic, but he at least has what counts.

“Do those need to be moved too?” an unfamiliar voice rings out. A young CorSec officer saunters over, surprisingly confident despite having to speak with Jedi. Her lekku sway as she points toward the baggage Neen left behind, the only exposed part of her head — the rest covered by a balaclava and helmet.

“Yes. Load these up in the medic’s transport. He will be back with us soon.”

“Yes, ma’am!” With nary a hint of effort, she hefts a massive pack in each hand and cheerfully walks away. As she goes, you notice that she’s far heavier armed than the typical officer. Actually, now that you think about it, over half of the officers here are armed and armored. Noticing your confusion, Master Lasah leans over and explains.

“I thought we could use some backup. They will be nearby while we complete our investigations, just in case.”

“That’s good, but what about other Jedi, Master? That would be even better!”

She huffs in amusement. “Unfortunately, we are on our own, as much as ‘our own’ means with a heavily armed CorSec operations team at our back. With so many things going on at the moment, there is nobody to spare. And, this is considered one of the easy jobs. A Jedi Master is already overkill.”

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Though disappointing, you suppose that makes sense. Generally, a Knight and an apprentice is enough to resolve most conflicts.

It takes Neen another few minutes to return. Now, loaded down with another two suitcases, he waddles over to the shuttle where you and Master Lasah stand.

“Thank you for the information you have given us, Sarko,” Master Lasah says. “You have been most helpful.”

“Pfeh,” he spits out. “I feel like I’ve done more harm than good in the last couple days. There’s no reason to thank me at all.”

“It was not your fault, though I do hope you rethink a certain part of your life.”

He gives a sardonic smile, unhappy memories flashing through his head. “Yes. I will.”

The CorSec officer reappears around the side of the shuttle as he speaks. Again, she offers a hand to carry some cargo and Neen gratefully accepts. Now unloaded, he heads for the passenger compartment, but you stop him just before he can go.

“We have just one more question,” you say. “Do you know what the name of this drug is?”

He shakes his head. “No. The droid handled all of that.”

“Nothing at all? Maybe it had something to do with ‘dreams?’”

His eyes glaze over as he thinks, doing his best to remember. He makes quite a few funny faces as thinks, at times looking to be on the verge of something, but then darkening when he just can’t remember. Finally, he seems to come across something, though it doesn’t seem to be exactly what you need. “I don’t think this is actually the name of it, but when ‘clients’ arrived, they would give a code phrase to the droid. The phrase was something along the lines of ‘dreams.’”

He pauses, searching his memories again. “Right, it was… ‘make my dreams come true.’ Yeah, I think that was it.”

Dreammaker.

Could this be it? Such a ridiculous coincidence?

If Ryker had been asking around for the “Dreammaker,” then perhaps the droid would have accepted that as the code phrase. Or, perhaps it didn’t think it was close enough and attacked her.

That doesn’t explain why she died with symptoms of an allergic reaction to something, though.

You look up at Master Lasah who stands with an inscrutable expression upon her face. Beneath the surface, however, you see a hint of… satisfaction?

“What are the effects of this narcotic?” Master Lasah swiftly says, just as Neen is turning again to go.

“I’m not entirely certain, but it seems to be in line with common Spice variants. Euphoria, mostly.”

“Any side effects?”

“Hmm. Confusion, vomiting. Nothing too serious, though it seems to be highly addictive. If it were more volatile, I would have refused outright. Is that all?”

“Yes, thank you.”

You and Master Lasah step back as the shuttle’s engines spool up, the repulsorlifts pulsing with barely contained energy. You wave a farewell to Doctor Neen, and then he’s gone — lifted up and away.

“Master Lasah?”

“Yes, Xena?”

“I feel like you’ve got everything already figured out.”

“Not completely. Not quite yet. But, Sarko did give some critical clues. Once the analyses of the oranges and the droid are complete, we will no doubt have a clear picture. Do you want to make a guess at it?”

“... I’ll save it for later.”

“Very well. Now, let us decide how exactly we will be investigating this warehouse. We do know that this cartel uses it, so it may be dangerous. On the other hand, we likely have the manpower and the skills to simply stroll in without issue.”

“What would you normally do?”

“Observe first. We have Force Sight. They do not. It is easy enough to make a decision once we have the necessary information.”

“Then why don’t we do that?”

“We will, but it is dangerous too. We will need to get closer first, but we know only of the one warehouse, but the whole area could be controlled by them. We do not know their numbers. We do not know their potential reaction to intruders.”

Master Lasah pauses, taking a quick look around the open streets. She then pulls you closer and kneels down to speak quietly. “To be honest, I do not believe it is necessary to investigate the warehouse anymore. We have the information we need and can leave the rest to CorSec. However, until the analyses are finished, we do not have anything better to do. But, then again, this is far more danger than an Initiate like yourself should experience. I have half a mind to simply end it here.”

“That feels… what’s the word? Empty? Like we’re leaving something unfinished,” you say.

“Anticlimactic, perhaps. That is but one option, though. I would still be willing to proceed as we do have CorSec at our backs.”

Master Lasah straightens up, holding her hand out to you. You place yours in her palm and she grasps tight. “Xena, how about this? If you do not want to continue, then simply say so. We will end our part here and wait for the results. CorSec will take over and finish things off. However, if you do want to press on, I would like for you to make a plan. How would we approach the sector? How would we approach the warehouse? I will give you some time to think, but do not take too long.”

“Yes, Master,” you say. She gently lets go and you reclaim your hand. “Just give me one moment.”