[Last Of The Jedi] - 05(16)
“Zackery! My old friend,” Keets said. “We had many a tussle when I was a reporter. I got thrown out of the Senate building by him more times than I can count.”
“He’s nothing to laugh at,” Dex advised, with a frown. “More power has just made him meaner. This is a dangerous game, my friends.”
“The only kind to play,” Keets replied.
CHAPTER NINE
Most of the population of Sath lived in tall high-rises, some luxurious, some not. The building Ferus was looking for fell somewhere in the middle range. It was built overlooking a canal, and a large landing platform crowned a hangar nearby.
“Decent place, but what are we doing here?” Clive asked as they zoomed up in the turbolift.
“All vehicles applying for departure must register an address with the landing platform,” Ferus answered.
“So you think the person using Quintus Farel’s identity is here?”
“No. I think whoever sold him the cruiser is here. I think he was able to use the address of the former owner because it hadn’t been changed in the system yet.”
“I never realized what a mind for details you had, Ferus.”
“It’s an old skill.”
“Must have made you popular.”
“It made me a bore.”
Ferus pushed the door alert button to an apartment on the fiftieth floor. He stood in front of the security screen. In a moment a voice squawked out of the speaker next to it.
“What is it’?”
“I’m here to ask you a few questions about a star cruiser you sold several weeks ago,” Ferus said.
“If there are any problems with it, they aren’t mine,” the voice snarled. “When I sold it, it was in top condition.”
“No, no problems. Can you open the door? It would be easier to talk face-to-face.”
A hesitation, then the door slid open. A young woman stood before them, her shimmersilk dressing gown knotted tightly around her waist. She looked Ferus and Clive up and down. “Okay, here’s my face. What is it?”
“I have some questions about the person you sold the cruiser to. Quintus Farel.”
“So ask. Do I look like I have all day for this?”
“Did you meet Quintus Farel?”
“You’re not from Sath, are you? Who meets anybody in this city’? I placed an electronic advert, this Quintus answered it, we exchanged details, I got credits in my accounts, Quintus got the ship. I bought it for some romantic space travel, but my boyfriend took off, the dinko. Anyway, who wants to travel in this galaxy now? Stormtroopers, everywhere I look.”
“Did you ever speak directly to Quintus?”
“Once. I parked the cruiser in the wrong space by mistake, so he couldn’t find it. I forgot to move it. Sue me. So I got a comlink call from Quintus, I think he was afraid I was going to cheat him. It wasn’t my fault, my neighbor parked in my space, the monkey lizard.”
Suddenly Ferus had an idea. “Are you sure Quintus was male?”
She shrugged. “Deep voice, and it sounded electronically altered. Mr. Secrecy. All I cared about was the transfer of credits into my account.”
Ferus wasn’t getting much information out of the woman. Clive gave Ferus a look that said, Let me take over. He put one hand on the door frame and smiled down at her. “I can see you pay attention to things. Did Quintus mention where he was going?”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Why would he do that? And why would I care? Get your hand off my door.”
Clive straightened, no longer trying to work his charm. “How long is the range of your ship?”
“No hyperdrive, if that’s what you’re asking. But it was fast. I like to go fast.. Are we done?”
Ferus sighed. “Thank you for your time.” Discouraged, he and Clive turned and started back toward the turbolift.
“Was that the rudest woman in the galaxy, or am I crazy?” Clive muttered under his breath.
“You’re not crazy.”
Then they heard her call them. “Fellas?”
They turned back.
“Just thought of one thing,” the woman said. “The comlink communication came from the Fountain Towers.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, the blocking mechanism was on, so an address didn’t pop up. But the Fountain Towers complex is new. Nice place, wish I could live there, but I’m stuck in this hole. It surrounds the Seven Minerals Fountain, in the Three Hundredth district.”
“But if the address was blocked ”
“I’m not finished. The Seven Minerals Fountain has a chord clock every half hour, it strikes the first three chords of the Samarian anthem. I heard that. So I’m guessing Quintus lives in the Fountain Towers. Because he was pretty annoyed at me and said he had to go all the way home again without the ship.”