[Last Of The Jedi] - 06(13)

“What was the first job the Eleven did together?”

Ferus thought about this. He knew the answer. The Eleven — back when there really were only eleven members — had broken into Imperial files and discovered the names of the Imperial spies who had infiltrated the capital city of Ussa. The raid was still a secret kept by the original group, because jobs were never discussed unless they had to be. If his assailant knew someone on the inside who had told him, Ferus could corroborate the information. It didn’t matter, at this point — the Imperial spies had long ago been rotated to other assignments.

“A raid on the Imperial files at the garrison headquarters to discover the names of Imperial spies.”

“How many spies did you discover?”

“Four.”

The pressure on his head lessened. “You can turn around.”

Ferus turned. His assailant was younger than he’d thought, maybe a few years older than Trever. His deep, gritty voice rose from a thick, muscular chest. Thick brown hair brushed the collar of his tunic. He still held the blaster.

“How did you know that was the truth?” Ferus asked.

“I knew someone who was close to the group,” he said. “When we started the resistance here, I went to Ussa and a few other planets to see if I could study a successful operation. I was able to get some strategy tips. Someone was kind enough to brief me on the first job.”

“Dr. Arnie Antin,” Ferus said. “That’s who you know.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you said your contact was close to the group, but not in the group. Arnie wasn’t at that time. But she treated Wil after the raid — he had a small fracture in his wrist. So she knew about it.”

“Good deduction. I’m Dinko, by the way. Code name. We all use them — it’s better if we don’t know anyone’s real name.” The young man grinned, transforming his features from forbidding to welcoming. “I guess I should say welcome to the Samarian resistance.”

Ferus rubbed his neck. “You sure know how to make a guy feel welcome.”

Suddenly the grin on Dinko’s face faded. “I haven’t heard from Arnie in several weeks. We were in close contact. Do you know anything?”

“They had to move the base of operations after Roan was arrested. There was a crackdown. I hear they had to disband for a time.”

“We don’t want what happened there to happen here, that’s for sure,” Dinko said. “Come on, meet the others.”

Ferus followed him back into the cantina. Dinko walked directly to the table with the curly-haired young woman and the older man. “This is Nek and Firefolk,” he said.

He turned to the ethereal young woman with the reddish curls. “I think I’ve met Firefolk before,” he said.

She grinned. “Try again. I’m Nek.”

“I’m Firefolk,” the man with the silver hair said.

“Sorry.” Ferus was amused at the idea of the sweet-faced young woman taking one of the more hideous species in the galaxy, the nek battle dog, as her code name. He would have guessed she would have chosen the more fanciful Firefolk — tiny, glowing beings native to the forest moon of Endor. He sat down.

“First let me tell you why I’m officially here,” he said. “Emperor Palpatine has an offer on the table. He will grant you amnesty if you disband.”

“This is good news,” the silver-haired Firefolk said. “It means we’re getting to them.”

“The Emperor offered me amnesty, and I took it,” Ferus said. “It was a way to get inside. It’s something to consider.”

“It’s a way to get arrested,” Dinko said. “I don’t trust it.”

“You shouldn’t,” Ferus said.

“All right, you passed along the message,” Firefolk said. “We refuse. Now, let’s move on.”

“Ferus wants to help us,” Dinko said.

“So far the Empire hasn’t taken over your government,” Ferus said. “I think it’s because the Emperor is still trying to consolidate power, and he doesn’t want to give any other planets a reason to resent him. He’s going to try to influence governments, not take them over. Willing governments will get governors. I’ve seen it happen on some of the Core Worlds. When the Empire tried to install a governor on Bellassa, we revolted, and that’s when they came in with a battalion and took over. You don’t want that to happen.”

“So that’s why they sent Divinian here,” Dinko said. “They call him an advisor, but he’s trying to get elected.”

Ferus nodded. “Samarians don’t exclude outlanders from becoming prime minister, so he has a way in. Bog is gaining power. It will be a good thing for the Imperials if he’s actually elected. They can use him to point out to other planets that they mean no harm.”