[Last Of The Jedi] - 06(20)

Maybe he wasn’t that great at being a double agent, either. He had hoped to learn more about the Empire’s plans. He’d hoped that getting close to Palpatine and Vader would afford him the opportunity to discover if any Jedi were known to be alive, or held prisoner. But he could see that although it appeared he had the confidence of Palpatine, he wasn’t really given access to anything that might help. He could observe all he wanted, but what he was able to observe was carefully controlled. Vader, he was sure, controlled it.

Would they ever let him in?

The city of Sath was running smoothly; there were no protests or fears that the Empire would take over, but Ferus felt uneasy. There was no battalion here, and though he’d kept his eyes arid ears open he’d found no evidence that they were around. If Bog lost the vote, Vader would need muscle.

What he still hadn’t figured out was why Palpatine himself had turned his attention here, and why his enforcer, Vader, was here, too. Was he missing something?

He just wanted to go back to the secret base and forget about Samaria, but something inside wouldn’t let him. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Roan, to see what he’d been up to on Bellassa. He wanted to steal time, just a few days, to spend with him. He wanted to make sure the base was thriving, that Raina and Toma had what they needed. He wanted to enlist Clive to help them. There were things to do.

Ferus moved through the city streets of Sath. He stopped at the Twilight Fountains and paused to watch the colored spray change from aquamarine to gold to deep orange to navy blue and back again. He felt sadness wash over him but couldn’t determine the cause. On Somaria, he felt something sucking at his footsteps, draining him. It wasn’t the plight of the planet. Was it the fact that he couldn’t see his path clearly? He kept going, one step at a time, and now he found himself shoulder to shoulder with Vader and Palpatine. He was learning nothing except that he had a powerful impulse to flee.

The possibility of Vader being a fallen Jedi chilled him. How had it happened? How had he been corrupted? What terrible seduction drew him in?

“Ferus. Follow me.”

The words were low, spoken by someone behind his back. He recognized Nek’s soft tone. He began to move along the fountain, not turning to glimpse her until he felt it was clear. Then he leisurely made his way through the crowds out enjoying the artificially cooled air. He followed her reddish curls and weaved his way to her as she stopped near a wall. She put her hands on the top and hauled herself up, then sat, legs kicking, a few meters away from others who had done the same.

Ferus pulled himself up beside her. He could see immediately why she’d chosen this spot to perch. The entire plaza was visible from here. Behind them was another wall. Another short jump would lead them to an upper walkway with access to several airbus routes and main thoroughfares. It would be relatively easy to lose a tail if they spotted one.

Still kicking her feet casually against the wall, Nek spoke in a worried voice. “We’ve got trouble. Maybe.”

“Tell me.”

“We’ve been monitoring some of Bog’s activities through his PD. We’ve got evidence of bribery.”

“That’s good.”

“There’s something else … the personal droid has been linked up with two Roshan prowler droids.”

“Aren’t they illegal on Samaria?”

“Yes. He must have smuggled them in.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Maybe he’s going to do something and blame it on the Roshans. That’s what we fear.”

“What do you think it will be?”

“I don’t know. But we were wondering …”

“… if I could go check it out. Do you know where he is now?”

Nek nodded. “We have him in the government district — the diplomatic wing of the Residence Tower. He’s meeting with the Roshan delegation.”

“This can’t be good,” Ferus said. “I’ll be in touch.”

Ferus leaped to the next wall, then ran lightly down the walkway. He hailed an air taxi and gave the driver the address. He handed over a wad of credits. “If you get me there in less than five minutes, you’ll get more.”

The driver looked at the credits in her hand. “I’ll get you there before you can blink, with these.”

The air taxi moved quickly through the traffic, weaving in and out of lanes and accomplishing a few highly illegal maneuvers. The driver proudly pulled up in front of the Residence Tower in four minutes flat. Ferus pressed another wad of credits in her hand and jumped out.

He waved his Imperial security tag at the sensor and the light blinked green. Ferus hopped aboard the turbolift. Being a double agent occasionally had its advantages. At least he didn’t have to waste time breaking in.