Jusik chewed, contemplating. “Call him Kad, then. Kad’ika. You weren’t called Kal when you were taken in by Munin. Doesn’t mean he can’t be Venku, too, if he wants.”
“See? You’re a real problem solver. Earning your keep already.”
“And I get to take him to Manda’yaim when I visit Fi.”
“Deal.”
They finished their meal in relatively happy silence. There was nothing so bad that it couldn’t have something worthwhile wrung from it, and good luck was simply a matter of what you decided to do with the hand you were dealt. Skirata had climbed out of the depths of despair of recent weeks, and was back on the attack, making things happen.
Ko Sal-she definitely hadn’t had the last laugh, not by a long shot. Nu draar.
He was glad the Kragget never asked its patrons to open their bags for security checks, because that nice Twi’lek waitress probably wouldn’t have seen him quite the same way ever again.
“Here’s a code key to the apartment, Bard’ika,” he said “but let Laseema know you’re coming, because she’s still a bit nervous of unexpected visitors. I’ve got to do Delta a favor.”
“They haven’t reported to Zey yet. I asked them to hold off until you were ready.”
“Good lad.”
Jusik’s gaze flickered and settled on the bag. “Is it in there?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Gross.” But Jusik carried on eating. It was an act, but he was probably trying hard not to think Jedi thoughts about compassion. “Anything I can get on with while Kad’ika’s asleep?”
“Yes.” The boy was a gem, he really was. Skirata was thankful for whatever it was that put fine men-fine sons-in his path. “See what you can dig up on high-security prisons here. There’s a certain Sep scientist I’d like to visit, one who knows a lot about Fett clone genomes. Dr. Uthan must be bored out of her skull by now.”
“Handy that Omega hauled her back from Qiilura, isn’t it?” Jusik winked. “Kind of… destiny.”
“I promise,” said Skirata. “No more Force jokes. This is no time to make new enemies.”
Skirata walked out onto a grimy lower-levels walkway, carrying his prize in a cryoseal box in a bag, and found that he was whistling. No, she wasn’t going to have the last laugh at all.
*
Area Company Barracks, SO Brigade HQ, Coruscant, 548 days after Geonosis
Delta Squad were still waiting in the TIV on the landing strip when Skirata got there, and Sev wasn’t very happy about it.
“This had better be good, Sarge,” Scorch said, looking ruffled and in need of a haircut when he took off his helmet. “We haven’t eaten in twelve hours.”
“Well, thanks for not signing in yet.” Skirata put the bag on the deck of the cramped compartment and pulled out the box. He handed the package to Sev. “Guess who.”
Sev looked at the box suspiciously. “This isn’t the family-sized pack of spicy warra nuts, is it?”
“No. Definitely not. But if you’re going to open it, be careful not to drop it. It’ll make a mess.”
Sev swallowed. “And why are you giving us this, Sarge?”
“I want you to walk into Zey’s office, put that on his desk, and tell him you found her. He can have Tipoca City check the Kaminoan DNA records.”
“Her?”
“You know who I mean.”
“Ko Sai?”
“No, the Queen Mother of shabla Hapes. Who do you think? Of course I mean Ko Sai.”
“She’s dead, then.”
“Either that, or she overdid the diet.” Skirata rolled his eyes and popped the seal on the cryobox. Sev held on to it, but the smell hit him, and he took the briefest of glances be-fore closing it again. “I’ve made it look like she had an encounter with incontinent ordnance so it fits your story. And it’s a body part she couldn’t do without, not something like a finger that any amateur chakaar could slice off. It’s absolute proof she’s dead.”
Sev had stopped counting the kills he’d made, and he was no longer sure if tinnies outnumbered wets on the tally. But this shook him, maybe because Ko Sai had been such a fig-ure of authority for most of his short life-and because the Mandalorian knot he’d found anchoring the headless skeleton now made sense.
“You killed her, then, Sarge. It was your knot.”
“No, son. Neither.” Skirata was looking around as if he was expecting company. “She had Mando bodyguards. though. And I didn’t kill her. We just found the body, I swear. I’d tell you if I had done it, because I don’t care any longer. and frankly I’d have enjoyed slicing her up, the sadistic hut’uun. But I didn’t. And that’s all you need to know-for your own good.”