The sergeant left him at Hydra’s office door. She waved her hand over the sensor for him before pivoting and marching off.
A short, slender humanoid rose as Ferus walked in He couldn’t tell if Hydra was male or female, but he guessed she was a female. He couldn’t guess at her homeworld. A hood covered her head and she wore the enveloping dark maroon of the Inquisitor team, the color that always reminded Ferus of dark blood. Her eyes were a pale silver color. She tipped back the hood and her shiny skull shone through a light stubble of hair. Her voice was husky. “Emperor Palpatine has directed me to be at your service.”
Ferus inclined his head.
“You are to be in charge of the search for Force-adepts. We have made progress. I have a list of possibles for you. You may use my dataport.” Hydra stiffly lifted an arm and pointed to a console. “I have already entered my password.”
Ferus nodded. “I’d like to get started as soon as possible.”
“Then begin.”
Ferus sat at the console. The database had already been loaded. He scrolled through it.
“You’ll see it has been ranked in terms of importance.”
Number one was a “tall human male, silver hair, large build, homeworld unknown,” who had slipped through a stormtrooper snare only a week before. Ry-Gaul. Ferus suddenly felt better. They’d actually tracked a Jedi. Maybe this list would prove valuable. He could help Ry-Gaul, set the Empire off on a false trail that would allow Ry-Gaul a chance to disappear completely.
Ferus went through the list. Some of the reports looked promising. A pilot in the Mid-Rim who made freight runs to the Core and made several extraordinary escapes from Imperial tails. A teacher who had single-handedly saved a school full of children from a sudden groundquake with such skill and speed that it had attracted attention. A bounty hunter. An account of a toddler on Alderaan who had seemed to sense danger before it happened, saving her minder. Sounded like a coincidence to Ferus. He ranked it last. The pilot, the teacher, and the bounty hunter all sounded promising.
The thought that any of them could be Jedi was the first ray of light in the dark days since Roan’s death.
“I’ll study this and get back to you with priorities,” Ferus said. “We’ll need a starship with a hyperdrive.”
“Already requisitioned. I will be accompanying you.”
Lucky me, Ferus thought. Hydra made the former Head Inquisitor Malorum look like the life of the party.
Hydra wanted to leave immediately, but Ferus managed to put off the trip until the next day, claiming he needed to do additional research.
At last he was free of the Empire.
With his credentials, Ferus moved easily through the checkpoints of the Senate complex. He passed through the entrance to EmPal and found Malory Lands waiting for him in the reception area. She was dressed in the white scrubs that all med personnel wore. “Looks like you got a job,” Ferus said. “Wasn’t hard ,” she answered. “Follow me.” She led him through a maze of hallways, passing closed door after closed door. Finally she reached one marked RADIATION UNIT. She handed Ferus some protective clothing, and he slipped it on.
Inside, the room hummed with machinery. A large transparisteel chamber stood in the center, surrounded by dataports and screens. “Advanced therapy for post-surgical procedures,” Malory explained. “The machines in here are highly calibrated. Any surveillance equipment would cause fused circuits and severe breakdowns. This is the only place I know where it’s safe to talk.” “Is the entire place under surveillance?” “I don’t think so, but main areas are monitored,” she said. “This is just a precaution. There are patrolling surveillance droids, but they’re supposedly for security. It’s mostly a rumor among the staff. They say there’s no such thing as a private conversation. I think it’s more likely that there are spies among them who get rewards for reporting back to the managers. Hard to tell, so far.” She shrugged. “Most med centers are rumor mills. No exception here. There’s even a rumor about a ghost. I can see why - this place is creepy.” She grinned, and for a moment Ferus saw the young woman inside the crisp professional.
“Can you give me access to records?”
“We’re in luck. All the record offices are fully staffed during the day, so there’s never really a chance to be in there alone. But… there’s a technician on the night shift named Jako. He’s going to be fired soon, he just doesn’t know it. He keeps getting partners, they keep requesting transfers, or they quit. I’m friends with the employment director - told her my cousin needs a job. So you’re in. You can bluff your way through with Jako. He’s not very bright.”