Light of the Jedi(53)
It was easy to forget they were there to continue the investigation into the ongoing galactic emergency. She forced herself to focus. Quiet contemplation could wait for retirement—and for a moment, just one, she let herself consider the idea of spending that time with Elzar Mann—something she would never tell him; he would never let her hear the end of it.
Another Emergence, another tragedy, had happened in the Ringlite system, and several thousand people had died. Only the valiant efforts of the system’s security squads had prevented something worse. Chancellor Soh had widened the hyperspace cordon once again. Senator Noor hadn’t protested this action—the necessity was obvious—but the pressure was mounting to solve the mystery once and for all.
This meeting today could be the key.
As if they had read her mind, two men appeared at the edge of the patio and walked toward her and Elzar. Marlowe and Vellis, the scion of the San Tekka empire and his husband.
Both were pale, with blond hair and blue eyes. The similarities stopped there; Vellis’s face looked chopped from granite while Marlowe’s features were softer. They did seem a pair, though, and like their home, everything about them radiated wealth and comfort and ease.
She wondered what Marlowe’s ancestors would think of what the family had become—the San Tekka family made its fortune a century or so ago as hyperspace prospectors, rough-edged people finding routes through the wild spaces of the galaxy, like planetary explorers searching for passes through deadly mountain ranges. Hyperspace prospecting was just as dangerous; many who tried it ended up lost forever, adrift in nothingness with no way to get home. The San Tekkas seemed to have a knack for it, though, and consistently found the shortest, fastest ways to get from here to there in the galaxy. They sold those routes to traders, governments, and entrepreneurs, and in some cases set up hyperspace toll lanes, where navigational data could be downloaded for a fee. All that revenue added up. These days, the San Tekkas were among the wealthiest families in the galaxy, and their teams of prospectors—now called hypersurveyors to give the trade a sheen of respectability—continued to sniff out lucrative new paths between the stars.
The galaxy was endless, and people would always want to traverse it more quickly and safely.
“Welcome to our home,” Marlowe said, extending a hand to Avar. “It is an honor to have Jedi guests.”
She took the hand and shook it briefly. Elzar did the same with Vellis.
“Please, let’s sit,” Vellis said, gesturing to the couch. “The servitor droid tells me you’ve already sampled the attar of spinsilk—one of my favorites as well. But there’s much more you can try. Anything you like.”
“Thank you,” Avar said.
The group sat, and Avar gently reached out with the Force to sense the emotional state of their hosts. They were utterly relaxed. Not that she expected anything else. A gorgeous lakeside patio with the love of your life at your side and enough credits for a thousand lifetimes? Of course the San Tekkas were relaxed.
“Senator Noor told us you’re investigating the dreadful disasters in the Outer Rim,” Marlowe said, pouring a glass of something red and handing it to Vellis. “I’m not sure what we can do to help, but of course we’re more than happy. Izzet is an old friend, and we know he has responsibility for the Outer Rim. Anything he needs, really.”
“Not to mention all the people in the firing line,” Elzar said, a slight edge to his voice.
“Of course,” Vellis said. “We are all the Republic.”
“The Emergences are bad enough, and we’re working on a system to predict where they’re going to happen next,” Avar said.
“Oh really? That’s interesting,” Marlowe said. “How is that possible?”
“Hetzal Prime happened to have a genius systems analyst in their Technology Ministry. He’s trying to build a network of navidroids…linking their processors together to use the data we have so far about the original disaster and all the Emergences. It’s not a sure thing. The problem seems to be getting enough droids to run the calculations.”
Marlowe and Vellis exchanged a quick glance—information passed between them, some unseen communication even Avar couldn’t detect.
“We can probably help with that,” Vellis said. “We have a proprietary set of algorithms we use to model likely hyperspace routes. If your analyst on Hetzal is interested, we can send a few of our navulators—hyperlane specialists—to help him refine his system.”
“Generally, we like to keep our trade secrets confidential,” Marlowe added, “but there are lives on the line.”
“Thank you very much,” Avar said. “That’s generous. We’ll put you in touch with the analyst—his name is Keven Tarr. I’m sure he’ll take any help he can get.”
“That’s not really why we’re here, though,” Elzar said.
“Oh?” Marlowe said, raising a thin eyebrow.
“It’s not just about stopping the Emergences. We want to make sure nothing like the Legacy Run ever happens again, and in order to do that, we need to know what caused it. Your family knows more about hyperspace than anyone, or so Senator Noor tells us. Do you have any theories?”
“Well, we’ve read the HoloNet reports, but they’re a little light on details. Do you have any additional information?”