[Last Of The Jedi] - 07(20)

It was all Astri’s fault. He’d had a family, and she’d stolen it.

He’d won the political game, but somehow Astri had outsmarted him and spirited Lune away. He had spies working for him, trying to track her down, but she’d simply vanished from the Fountain Towers in Sath, flying off with a mysterious group, no doubt helped by the resistance.

He reached for his comlink and contacted Sano Sauro. Sauro had messed up badly and had been demoted, but Bog had learned never to kick down the ladder that had boosted him to the top. You never knew when you’d need the ladder again.

Sauro took his communication immediately, which was pleasant. Now that Bog was Imperial governor, he wouldn’t have to scrounge for attention.

Sauro was still a Senator because he could be counted on to vote strictly as the Emperor wanted him to, but he was no longer head of powerful committees, no longer a known politician with Palpatine’s ear. Now he was merely in charge of the Imperial Naval Academy, which amused Bog to no end. Sauro was practically a nursemaid!

“Hello, Bog,” Sauro said. “How is the governorship coming?”

Bog could hear the poison in his tone. Sauro was probably being eaten alive by jealousy. He’d thought he was smarter than Bog and would rise faster under the new government. What he hadn’t valued was Bog’s gut instincts. That made him smarter than all the rest of those know-it-alls.

“Coming along,” Bog answered shortly. “Lots to do, busy time here. Trying to unite the planet, get them on board with the Empire.”

“Of course.”

“Any word on our project?”

“None. But I’ve tapped into the SAM database.”

“What’s that?”

“Suspicious Movement. Acronym SM. Nickname SAM. Stormtroopers and spies patrol Coruscant and keep their eyes open for suspicious activity. Do spot ID checks. It also goes on within worlds occupied by the

Empire. Governors set up the programs. They all go into one database and are cross-referenced and crosschecked. Then the head security officer decides on surveillance. I have clearance for the database now. I thought you’d know about SAM, Bog.”

Sauro was leaning on his name, just a little bit. Just to show that they were still close associates. Bog wondered if he could ask Sauro to call him Governor.

“Oh, of course,” he said quickly. “I just didn’t get the lingo.”

“Right. Anyway, I’ve got reports coming in daily, and I go through them personally. Any leads, I’ll let you know.”

“How’d you do that? Get access to the database? Let’s face it, your clearance must have been bumped down to almost zero, Sano-Mano.” Bog allowed himself a small laugh.

“This is a naval academy,” Sauro said in a voice like a carbon-freezer. “I’m still heading the search for any Force-adepts to join it. I have a valuable friendship with Hydra.”

The new Grand Inquisitor. How had Sauro managed it? He wasn’t a guy you’d want to spend time with. Yet he managed to collect more favors and alliances than even Bog. Which was one reason to keep him happy.

“All right, then. Keep me in the know. And I’ll pass on what a good job you’re doing, next time I speak to Emperor Palpatine.” Bog didn’t usually speak to him, actually. But he was sure he would be, now that he was governor of an important system.

“Your generosity has always been overwhelming,” Sauro said.

Bog felt flattered, even if he wasn’t sure Sauro was being sincere. “Well, you know, the galaxy is big. Lots going on. We’ve got to keep each other in the loop. Help where we can.”

“I’ll be in touch.”

Bog sensed that Sauro was about to sign off, so he quickly turned off his comlink so he could be the one to break the communication. Then he stabbed at the button for his assistant and asked him to find out why that SAM program hadn’t been set up on Rosha. Unless it already had been, and the notation was buried in those reports he kept meaning to read.

Until then, he had Sauro on the line.





Chapter Twelve


“I haven’t been lucky since the Emperor took over,” Solace said in a low tone to her companions. “I forgot what it feels like.”

“It feels gleaming good ” Clive said. “That’s all I know. It’s about time we caught a break”

He and Astri huddled with Solace in an alley. Clive had investigated some old contacts on Coruscant. One of the contacts had clued him in on a network of residence inns that would accept those on the run from the Empire. The group had left surveillance devices outside of each inn. Three levels below the Orange District, they hit paydirt.