The approach to Konlac was remarkably unremarkable. After the trouble they'd had in the Tozen system everyone was on high alert the moment they emerged from hyperspace. Taz ran a full array of scans, looking for signs of ships in orbit or energy signatures on the surface that might indicate an Imperial presence. Finding none, he repeated the scans, then scanned again, until Lyra threatened to throw him out the airlock.
Surprisingly, Nanvarr didn't seem in any hurry. Having come this far, he waited placidly, sitting in the gunner's chair beside Taz as he ran his scans. Finally satisfied, he relented and Lyra plotted a landing approach. Nanvarr had warned them in advance about the planet's unpredictable storms that could wreak havoc on electrical systems, so as they spiraled down through layer upon cloud layer, Sera and Taz both kept a sharp eye on the short-range scanners.
When they finally broke through the clouds at four thousand meters, Lyra picked out a complex with a tall metal spire, the unmistakable hallmark of an Imperial communications station. She threw a glance at Taz but he was already heads-down over his sensor controls. It took only a few seconds to confirm that there were no energy signatures of note, and only a few indicators of motion; likely some of the local fauna that Nanvarr had mentioned.
A few kilometers away stood the ruins of Nanvarr's village. Two dozen round, plaster-walled houses clustered near a central plaza; none were intact. Weather had taken its toll, but most of the damage looked artificial.
For the first time since entering the Konlac system, Nanvarr looked excited. His hands were in constant kinesis, flashing excitement, uncertainty, joy, anxiety, then, as they neared the ground, thoughtfulness.
Lyra set the freighter down in a clearing a couple of hundred meters from the village. Taz ran an environmental scan. "Atmosphere and pressure look fine. It's a little chilly out there, though. He unstrapped and turned to Nanvarr. "Let's get you home." Then to the others, "Anyone else coming along?"
"I'll go," Reiko volunteered.
"Me too," Sera echoed. "Nimor?"
"I'll keep an eye on Allegra, get started plotting our next route."
"Okay. We'll try not to be too long."
Nanvarr and the three spacers walked down Allegra's boarding ramp. Sera had her combat armor on and a G9 blaster rifle slung over her shoulder. She hung back a few paces, looking alert. Taz went ahead, his vest bolstered with caronite soft armor plates in case the Imperial installation was still operational.
They walked the short distance to the village, Nanvarr leading them across the plaza they'd seen on the way down. Scores of ashen stone monuments with polished, inclined faces stood in shallow arcs on either side of the pathway. Most were incised with runes, but a few of the stone faces were blank. He looked at the stones and swept his hand across one of them. Then he trod on, turning down a side street, leaving the crew to exchange curious glances.
He stopped at a plaster home composed of two round sections, each perhaps five meters in diameter. A round-headed door of dark wood stood ajar, falling off its hinges. The dark brick walls had collapsed in a few places, although the roof was largely intact. Nanvarr pushed open the door and ushered them inside. He wandered the abode, touching everything, brushing his hands against furniture, cracked plaster walls painted in fading blue and yellow, replacing items that had fallen from shelves or off tables. Dust, dirt, old leaves and rubble covered every surface.
He shuffled to what looked like a kitchen and flipped a switch. Flickering lights illuminated a few of the sconces set into the walls. They cast a greenish light that Taz found unpleasant. In the kitchen the Fereax puttered, looking in a cupboard, but finding only empty, dusty shelves.
Reiko poked around. "How are you going to survive here on your own, Nanvarr? Your village is deserted. There are no supplies, no—"
He waved at her, his temporal tendrils swaying gently. "No worries on my account, my dear girl Reiko Hudson. Though it looks rude, I have all that I require. He touched his thumb against his middle finger. "I regret that I have nothing with which to welcome you. Normally we would sit and enjoy some prula bark tea, but my supply seems to have… evaporated. No matter," he said, brightening up. "A moment please."
He disappeared into the other part of the house. They heard sounds of rummaging, and when he emerged a few minutes later, he held a small object in his hand. It had a short cylindrical grip with controls on it, and a flat paddle extending from it. He walked back to the home's entrance and stood staring out at the windy village, deep in thought. After a few minutes, Nanvarr turned back to them. He handed the object to Taz. "The book I told you of."
"Are you sure you want me to have this, Nanvarr?"
"I assure you, my boy, it will be of much more use to you than to me." He took a step back and addressed them. "Thank you all for bringing me to Konlac. It has been my fondest wish to return here and spend—"
Taz felt a heavy shock behind his eyes. "Look out!" he shouted, diving for Nanvarr.
There was a bright flash and a screeching sound from outside. The Fereax fell, smoke and the stench of charred flesh curling in the air. A few meters outside stood a bipedal droid. Red optical sensors projected from either side of its narrow head, and its arms ended in dangerous-looking blasters. The Imperial crest in scratched and faded black stencil on the upper right side of its thorax made its origin plain.
Sera had rolled aside and lay prone, lining up her rifle shot. Taz and Reiko scuttled away from the door, Taz reaching for his blaster. The droid took a step forward and raised both of its arms, tracking Taz and Rei with one, and aiming at Sera with the other.
"HK droid!" called the commando and opened up with her rifle. The assassin droid began firing at nearly the same instant. Taz returned fire while he crouched in front of Reiko. The air in the house filled with smoke and the sharp reverberation of blaster fire. Little explosions from the light sconces added to the chaos.
A sizzling particle blast pulverized the hard tile centimeters from Sera's head. Her return shot caught the droid low on its torso, just above the pelvic joint. It staggered and she fired a rising burst, the final round impacting between its photoreceptors. The droid dropped to its knees, creaking, then toppled on its side with a whine of servos. In a fragmented voice it said "[krzzt] ...passing ..mperial property [fzzzt] ex... kill order." The red sensors went dark and the droid stopped moving.
"Rei-sha!" Sera yelled, leaping to her feet. Taz scrambled toward Nanvarr, who wasn't moving.
"I'm fine, Sera-sha," Reiko assured, slapping the dust from her coveralls. Sera gave her a frenzied, relieved embrace, then turned back to the door, sweeping it with the barrel of her rifle. Taz pulled Nanvarr away from the doorway.
Sera crouched across from them, peering out. She tapped her headset. "Nimor, we're taking fire!"
"What?" came Lyra's alarmed voice in Sera's ear.
"Assassin droid, left over from the Imperial facility by the looks of it. Nanvarr's been shot. Get on the scanners. I want to know if anything else is moving around out there."
Lyra swore. "Got it, Captain. Need me to come to you?"
"No, but prep Allegra for dust-off. I want to be in the air as soon as we get back."
"Will do. Nimor out."
Reiko crouched beside Sera, her blaster drawn. She'd never liked fighting, but she smiled reassuringly at Sera. Her hands only shook a little.
Taz turned Nanvarr over. The Fereax was conscious, just barely.
"Doc?" Sera asked, not taking her eyes off the crowd of other houses and narrow streets. The assassin droid smoked and sparked.
"I don't know," he answered, going for his medscanner.
Nanvarr took his hand in a weak grip. "No need, dear boy, I foresaw this, though I seem to have misjudged the time somewhat."
"I can help you," Taz said, an edge of urgency in his voice.
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The Fereax shook his head. "You have already helped me, Tazbarada Oktos of Filve." He coughed, and dark violet blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. His head tendrils had grown pale and stopped moving, and his eyes were clouded. "Before I go I ask one thing more of you, my benefactor." Lifting his arm, he pointed to a painting hanging askew on the wall. "That will show you the way. May the Life Wind ever carry you, dear boy." Then Nanvarr fell still, his eyes staring lifelessly. A last breath sighed from his thin mouth.
Taz swore quietly and laid the Fereax down. He closed his eyes and fell into the Force without beginning the Dahannist meditation as he usually did. He let his hand hover over Nanvarr's face for a moment before opening his eyes. He glanced at Sera and shook his head.
"Nimor, anything?" Sera checked.
"Nothing moving on the scopes, Captain. Allegra's ready to fly."
"Good. We're coming to you. Rendix out."
Taz grabbed the painting from the wall. It was small and hard to see in the shadows, but the scene looked like some kind of funeral rite. A group of Fereax stood around an inclined stone that had been hollowed out. A body was inside, wrapped in bandages. One Fereax in ceremonial robes had outstretched arms. A capstone with a smooth, polished face hovered in the air.
Taz understood. He tucked the picture in his bag then lifted Nanvarr's body. "Come on," he said solemnly.
"Doc, there might be other droids out there," Sera warned, but Taz strode on. Cursing under her breath Sera followed, Reiko right behind.
The wind gusted in the plaza, filling the air with dry leaves and dust. Taz blinked the grit from his eyes. He found the stone that Nanvarr had touched on his way in.
He understood now. "Nanvarr never meant to live on Konlac; he meant to die here."
He examined the stone slab. Looking closely, he could just see the thin outline where the capstone fit into the sarcophagus. There were no handles or any way to grip it. If he was going to open it, he'd have to use the Force to do it.
He glanced around, then at Reiko. "If I open this, can you put him inside?"
"Me? I suppose so, but how are you going to —"
"Doc, we don't have time to stand around. If there are more of those things out there —"
"I'll be quick, Sera, but I owe it to him to give him his final wish."
Sera screwed up her mouth. "One minute. Then we go. Got it?" She took cover behind another of the stone tombs, raised her rifle and scanned for danger.
Taz took a few steps back, closed his eyes, and let the swirling wind and the skittering leaves clear away all of his thoughts. He reached out, opening himself to the Force, and felt it almost immediately. The whole planet seemed to glow with it. Learning the telekinetic skills on Allegra had proved frustrating. The items he'd tried to move were small, and even after hours of trying, he'd managed only to shift them a few centimeters. Nanvarr had told him, over and over again, that it was a matter of will and belief, not size.
Now he saw the tomb within the haze of the Force, shimmering in his consciousness. He reached out, felt the mass of the capstone, but it was different from the little cargo boxes he'd practiced with earlier — lighter, somehow. He sent his will toward it and the capstone moved, slipping toward him. He flicked his hand and it floated aside, bobbing unevenly in the air next to the tomb. He sweated from the mental effort he was expending. The wind blew cold against his scalp and face.
Reiko let out an astonished gasp. Even Sera was wide-eyed. She gave Rei an urgent nod. The engineer wore a look of distaste but she picked up the body and laid it in the carefully carved tomb. She stepped back quickly. "Okay," she muttered, fidgeting with her hands and wiping them reflexively against her coveralls.
Taz mumbled a response, sweat standing on his forehead. He worked harder, extending his will into the space between him and the stone slab. It moved, slipping back into place, sealing inside the dim shadow that the dead Fereax cast within the Force. He breathed out a long sigh and opened his eyes. His knees felt like jelly, his legs and arms like lead.
"Okay, Doc, you did what you needed to. Let's get out of here."
He lurched to the sarcophagus and braced against it with his outstretched hand. The stone felt warm, although he recognized it might be nothing more than his tired brain playing tricks. He took a marker pen from his vest pocket and scrawled in Galactic Basic:
Nanvarr
Last of his people
"Let's go," he uttered, drawing his pistol.
Heads swiveling, they trotted back to Allegra as fast as Taz's tired legs would go. He stumbled at the foot of the ramp and fell to his knees. Sera grabbed him by his vest's haul loop and dragged him the rest of the way. Reiko swiped the ramp control while Sera keyed the intercom. "All aboard. Get us out of here, Nimor."
Allegra's Heart rumbled and shot into the air.
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Taz sat in the medbay, depressed and worn down. They'd risked their lives and their ship to rescue Nanvarr, traveled nearly across the galaxy to take him home, only to have him die within minutes of arriving? He understood Nanvarr's motive, or some of it at least. There was plenty about the Fereax that was a mystery, but he couldn't get past the feeling that there was something more Nanvarr could have contributed. After years of abetting the Empire in their oppressive, murderous schemes, Taz felt cheated that they hadn't had the opportunity to put his knowledge and skills to work fixing the damage.
He poked at the two items he'd taken when they fled. In the painting he could pick out the tomb where they'd interred Nanvarr. Taz rubbed his fingers along the frame, some kind of plastic that had a rough texture.
Last relic of a lost race. Feeling glum, he put it aside.
The paddle-like object was a data player of some kind. Nanvarr had said it was a recording from a Jedi combat master. Taz picked it up and worked the controls, making files appear in a holo projection above the paddle. There was a treatise on lightsaber combat, penned by a Master Ro, but there were other files, too. Imperial records of a research facility called Rho-277. A planet's name, Beta Fonidian II, with notes from Nanvarr indicating ancient ruins and a strong presence of the 'Life Wind'. Taz decided the Jedi Master's writings could wait. He opened the file marked Rho-277 and began reading.
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Lyra finished checking Allegra's course through hyperspace on the way to the Mid-Rim world of Anobis. Though the planet was in the throes of a vicious civil war between factions supporting the New Republic and what remained of the Empire, she'd found an open contract to haul a load of minerals and some Mining Guild representatives from there to Ord Mantell. They'd placed a hold on the contract pending their arrival. Now she wondered if they'd be able to make that pickup.
Taz stood in the cockpit holding the player given to him by Nanvarr. The holo display projected a memo from someone named Tillisk Tafo, identified as the director of Rho-277. The memo appeared to be a normal status report from Tafo to his superiors, who were not identified. The information that had caught Taz's attention when he'd seen it in the medbay was a reference to the Tarkin Initiative.
"What's a Tarkin?" Reiko asked.
"Not what, who," Sera quipped. "He was a major player in the Empire, one of the Emperor's direct lieutenants. Ballista leadership had briefings from Alliance Intelligence about the man and his Initiative. Some kind of think tank involved with developing advanced weapons. There was talk a few years back about launching a snatch and grab from one of their bases. We executed some training evolutions in a mock facility before Command decided there were more important missions. If the intel was accurate, the Tarkin Initiative did the primary research for the Death Star's superlaser."
Taz nodded. "Then there's this." He swiped his thumb over the player's controls. The memo disappeared, replaced by a long table of entries from what looked like some kind of excavation or mining operation. Taz enlarged a block of text with a single word in bold: kyberite. To the questioning looks, Taz responded, "It's a mineral. It concentrates and amplifies energy. The Jedi used kyber crystals in their weapons."
Sera put a hand to her chin and tapped her cheek. "The Tarkin Initiative was involved with kyber crystal research, I think."
Reiko considered. "An advanced weapons research team, and an Imperial facility that's mining kyberite? That can't be a coincidence." She turned to Yuzu, who stood just outside the cockpit. She'd only recently installed a tactical analysis package in the droid. "Yuzu, what do you think?"
"There are few data points from which I could draw any conclusion, Mistress, but it's reasonable to conclude that a program to develop additional superlaser weapons is active on behalf of the Galactic Empire, or one of its factions."
To the sober looks from Sera and Reiko, Taz added, "There's one more thing." He scrolled to another log entry nearby, then enlarged one of the columns. There was a name: Jerric Daro.
"Who's Jerric Daro?" Lyra asked.
"Tess — Captain Tess Daro is the second officer on the Pride of Olminar, the ship we served on during the war. Her parents were arrested by the Empire and disappeared about ten years ago. Jerric Daro is her father's name." Taz shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.
"You think her parents could still be alive, Doc?"
Taz shrugged stiffly. "The log entry's old. Nanvarr said he hadn't been to Konlac for years. As to Jerric Daro," he trailed off, waging a little internal conflict. After a few seconds he said, "I think Tess deserves to know what we found, at least."
Sera looked serious. "At a minimum we should get the intel about the kyberite operation to the New Republic. They'd probably want to know about something like this."
"Great. We'll transmit it when we get to Anobis," Lyra suggested.
"Put this info on an open channel? Probably not a good idea."
"We do have encrypted comms, remember?"
"I'll ask Kallista to contact General Numarkos, see what she thinks."
"So, Anobis…?" Lyra asked. "Cargo? Passengers? We're holding a pending contract."
"Yeah," Sera drawled. "That might need to wait."
"Good money," Nimor suggested, a naked appeal to their mercantile sensibilities. She looked at the determined ex-Rebel faces, then turned in her seat and uttered a rough sound. "Rutting hell," she grumbled and activated the nav computer. "Somebody owes me twenty-five shares of whatever that run to Ord Mantell was going to net us." She pulled up the course correction screen and scowled at Rendix over her shoulder. "Where are we going?"
Sera looked at Taz. "Where are we going, Doc?"
He looked decidedly downcast. "Filve."