After Solace finished her brief request, Curran shut off the comlink. He fixed Keets with his sharp, penetrating gaze. His nose twitched.
“What did I do now?” Keets threw a wadded-up paper from a muja muffin on top of the pile of durasheets on his table. He brushed the crumbs off his tunic.
“We almost missed that communication. The corn-link should be available at all times.”
“I handed it to you!”
“After a search. You lost it under that pile.”
“True. But I found it again. You never give me enough credit.” Keets grinned at Curran. “You want the rest of my muffin?”
“I don’t … want … the rest of your muffin.” Curran articulated each word. “I want you to be responsible.”
“I keep telling you, don’t say that word while I’m in the room. What did they say?” Keets asked.
Curran sighed. He sat down carefully in a chair after brushing off some crumbs. “They couldn’t locate the ship, but they did discover an interesting connection. Sano Sauro is in comlink touch with the ship.”
Keets whistled. “That is interesting. It’s our Bog Divinian link. He’s a protégé of Sauro’s. Do you think they’re cooking up something on Samaria?”
“No doubt. If we can find out what, we might be able to help Ferus and get some crucial information to Solace and Oryon as well.”
Keets looked at his messy table. “I knew there was a reason I was going through these senatorial records. Every time Divinian, that pompous son of a bantha, makes a move, Sauro is somewhere in the background.”
“Sauro plucked him out of obscurity and brought him back to the government,” Curran said. He smoothed the fur on his cheeks with his hands, a gesture he made when he was thinking hard. “He’s risen fast. But Divinian is nothing more than a hack. Why would Sauro need a hack?”
Keets gestured at the pile of durasheets, sending half of them shooting off the table. “Bantha Bog isn’t his only hack. He’s got plenty more.” Meets thought a moment as he gazed at the pile on the floor. “At first I thought Sauro just didn’t have good judgment. His protégés are the emptiest heads you’ve ever seen. Find a being, male or female, who’s been raised with wealth and hasn’t done a thing with it, shove them into positions of power . .”
“And then control their every move,” Curran said. “You’re really the one with the power, not them.”
“He’s personally handpicked Imperial advisors to at least ten planets in the Core that I know about,” Meets said.
“But how does this help us with Samaria?”
“It doesn’t … yet,” Meets said. “But it’s brilliant, if you go in for that evil mastermind sort of thing. Sauro has managed to ingratiate himself into Palpatine’s inner circle. Now he’s consolidating his power outside of it. I’d bet he’s going to butt heads or should I say helmet with Vader eventually.”
Dexter Jettster stuck his big head in the room. Two of his hands gestured at them. “Have you two stopped going at each other like a pair of nek battle dogs or have you found something?”
“Just a plot to take over the galaxy,” Meets said.
Curran blew out a short breath, ruffling his facial fur. “Sano Sauro is handpicking Imperial advisors and sending them to strategic planets in the Core Worlds. He’s also set up a ship called the True Justice, a kind of traveling courtroom for political prisoners. That’s where Roan and Dona are being held.”
“Good finding them is the first step.” Dex stroked his chin with one of his four hands. “Setting up a system to try political prisoners is a smart move. That would give him access to any information on resistance movements.”
“And he’s a special advisor to the new academy where they’re starting to train pilots and officers,” Keets said. “He’s got a finger in a lot of nasty Imperial pies.”
“In another few years, he’ll have planetary rulers and officers loyal to him, as well as all the Senators he has in his pocket,” Curran said.
“The question is, does Palpatine know what he’s up to?” Meets asked.
“Might know, might not care,” Dex said shrewdly. “He’ll let Vader handle Sauro if he has to get rid of him. In the meantime, he’s helping the Empire. But how does this help our friends?”
“We know he’s in constant communication with the True Justice,” Keets said. “So at least we can send the coordinates to Solace.”
“Break into his files at the Senate?” Dex asked. “The two of you are well known there. You got away with it once, but sneaking into a senatorial office will be harder. Zackery is still in charge of security.”