Jedi Destiny, Chapter 8

Mission Vao pressed her face to the veiwport, amazed at the size of the Coronet spaceport. She was excited for her mission to begin, but she felt a disturbance in the Force that made her have second thoughts. Newt felt something too, but it differed from Mission's.

"Something important is gonna happen here. I just know it!" He grinned and brushed his blonde bangs out of his eyes.

Mission shook her head. "It may be important, but it sure isn't gonna be good."

"What are you talking about? It's gonna be great!"

"No it's not, I can feel it!"

"Whatever. You might want to sharpen up your skills though." Newt walked to the cockpit and met up with Nick.

"Hey Newt. What can you tell so far about our mission?"

Newt's eyebrow arched. "Um, nothing. We just started."

Nick shook his head. "Reach out to the living Force, Newt. You must do this at the beginning of each mission, or you will miss important information."

Newt looked unsure, but he reached out and gathered the Force around him. "It's... restless. The people are scared of something."

Nick nodded his head approvingly. "Good, what else?"

"There's something... shady... about this place. Not the Dark Side, just..."

"Gray."

"Yes. It's gray. I can sense the Dark Side, but it's like a whisper. It's just barely there."

"Just because it's a whisper does not mean it should be ignored. Think on this apprentice."

"I will, Master."

Nick went off to find Mission and ask her the same thing. He asked Newt to clear access to Coronet for him, so Newt strode down the loading ramp. He leaned on the port official's desk and grinned at the woman standing there.

"The crew of the Ebon Hawk need access to Coronet. Think you could clear us?"

"May I see your ID docs?"

'ID docs? What's that about?' Newt thought. "Uh, we've come representing the Republic and the Jedi. Those won't be necessary."

"Actually, they will be necessary. The absence of ID documents is against Security Laws."

Newt waved his hand, testing his Jedi Mind Trick ability. "We don't need ID docs."

"Yes you do."

Failure. Time to try again. Newt waved his hand again. "No we don't."

"Yes, you do. If you want to keep arguing, we can find a nice security cell for you-"

"Let me just go talk to our Captain."

At that moment, Nick walked down the loading ramp along with Mission, Bastila, and Canderous. "Is this our group?" Newt said. "Shouldn't it be smaller?"

"We're gonna split up once we get in. It'll help us cover more ground."

"Do we have ID docs? This lady," Newt gestured to the woman at the desk, still wearing an annoyed expression, "says she needs them."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, they're right here." He handed them to the woman and she ran them through the computer.

"Alright, you're clear." she said. The door slid open at the touch of a button. Nick led the way through to Coronet.

"Ok, I've gathered some information on Coronet. There are some advanced tracking systems here, but they belong to the government, and aren't available to us. However, Corellia has one of the most prominent black market systems in the Mid Rim. That's where the teams come in. One team will become black market buyers. We need one of those tracking systems. Another team has to infiltrate the Corellian government to find some security documents in the baron's office. The baron has some sort of connection to the kidnapper, and those documents are going to tell how close they really are. They may even reveal the kidnapper."

"So who are the teams?" Mission asked.

"You, me, and Bastila are going to get those files. Newt and Canderous are going after that tracker." He tossed Canderous a comlink. "Contact us when and if you get that tracker. Once we're in the capital building, though, I'm going to send a signal to you guys. Once that signal is sent, you can't contact us anymore. We may get caught. Once I send the signal again, it's safe. If I don't send it within two hours of the first one, assume we've been captured. You'll have to get the documents as well."

Canderous nodded. "We can do that with our eyes closed, Revan." He socked Newt in the shoulder and the boy staggered backwards. "Right, kid?"

Newt forced a smile through the pain. "Sure thing. Not a problem at all!"

Nick smiled. "Good to know. I'll contact you if we make progress."

The two groups headed separate ways, and Mission felt a bit more confident about her mission. If she had two other Jedi on her side, nothing could go wrong.

At least, that's what she thought.

---

Shaardan summoned his most loyal crew member, Captain Kevta Nule. "Captain Nule," he said when the man arrived. "I feel a disturbance in the Force."

Kevta saluted. "What is it, sir?"

"I don't know... yet. It comes from Corellia."

"The Force... on Corellia, sir?"

"I am sure of it."

"Do you want me to contact Lord Ban?"

"No. I'd rather surprise her."

Kevta raised his eyebrows. "But, sir! That's against orders!"

"My Master does not need to know. After all, I plan on replacing her as well. I have broken many rules of the Sith."

"Sir, what have you done?!?"

Shaardan smiled evilly. "Yulani, for one. In fact, I'd like you bring her to me. She will track this disturbance to its source. I have trained her well; she will not fail me."

Kevta nodded. "Yes, sir." He scurried off to fetch the girl.

Shaardan turned around in thought. Yes. Soon, he and his apprentice would overthrow Yuthura. It was only a matter of time.

---

"This is sad, Canderous. We're on Corellia, Black Market capital of the Mid Rim, and we can't even find one source to black market stalls!" Newt and Canderous were standing in the center of the Coronet Marketplace. "Calm down, kid. We aren't finished yet!"

"Well, what do you propose we do?"

"Keep an eye out for the shady characters. They blend in, but stick out. They plan it that way. They can only be found by the people who are looking for them."

"In this crowd?"

"In this crowd."

Newt knew Canderous had a good eye. Must've been a souvenir from his experience with sniping. But Newt had something Canderous didn't. The Force. Newt gathered it to him and used it to sharpen his senses. "There!" He pointed.

Canderous squinted. "The Rodian?"

"Yeah. In the red flight suit."

Canderous nodded slowly. "Looks like our guy." He started walking toward the being.

Newt frowned. If he had been with Nick, he would have gotten a compliment, some words of encouragement. Canderous had simply acknowledged his discovery with a nod of his head and left. 'Get a hold of yourself, Newt Rennson!' Newt thought to himself. 'The Sith don't give compliments! Why do you need them? You could expect less from a Mandalorian.'

Newt ran after Canderous. He'd been left behind in his thoughts, and it was time to catch up. He found the Mandalorian speaking with the Rodian. The Rodian gave a nod of his head and darted into a nearby alley. Canderous ran after him, closely followed by Newt.

"Where is he going?" Newt asked as they ran.

"He's leading us to the Grand Exchange."

"The Exchange?!?"

"Not the crime syndicate. The Grand Exchange is the smuggler's name for the Black Market operations here on Corellia. They are all based in one building here in Coronet, also known as the Grand Exchange. But there may be a few Exchange members in there, so be on your guard."

Newt nodded. The Rodian took a sharp right, and they came out on the doorstep to a small cafe. "This is the Grand Exchange?" Newt asked doubtfully.

"Under Cafe," the Rodian said. "Cafe a front." He proceeded into the cantina, and Newt cautiously followed him, his fingertips kept on his training lightsaber.

They went beyond the main counter and down a flight of stairs. Right away, Newt knew they were at the right place. The place smelled strongly of alcohol, he could hear murmuring in hushed voices, making deals, and the living Force was buzzing.

Canderous gave the Rodian a few credits for leading them there, and asked if he knew who would sell a tracking device. The Rodian pointed to a figure in the back. Newt squinted to see the person, but the place was dimly lit, and his efforts were to no avail.

"There's Nick's signal,' Canderous said, pocketing his comlink. Newt nodded.

Newt led the way to the black market seller, and as he went, he felt a surge in the Force. A positive feeling came to him, and he quickened his pace. He saw the seller, now recognized as a male, leaning back in a chair with his feet propped up on the desk. A cap was pulled over his face, and the light breathing indicated he was sleeping. There was a note on the desk, and Newt picked it up to read the aurebesh. "Knock for business." Newt read aloud.

He casually knocked on the table and the guy startled awake. He pulled his cap up, and his eyebrows shot sky high along with Newt's. He was only a boy, and looked about Newt's age. But under a mess of shockingly pink hair was an all too recognizable face.

It mirrored Newt's.

---

Mission buckled her STEALTH belt and switched it on. Nick and Bastila did the same, and they led the way through the halls of the Coronet capital building. They were nearing the baron's office, and security was getting thicker. She tiptoed in what she thought was the right direction, hoping that the barely visible outline in front of her was actually Nick. The trio ducked behind a wall and deactivated the camouflage.

Nick motioned to the door, and Mission pulled out a security spike. In a mere five seconds, they were standing in the desolate office of the baron.

"Bastila, keep a lookout," Nick said, and he accessed the computer. "Password protected. We'd better bypass this carefully, or we'll trip an alarm." He pulled out a few computer spikes and inserted them into the computer. He typed in a few things and they were in.

Mission took a look around the room. Light glinted off of a small object on a display stand and caught her eye. She moved closer to inspect it and realized it was a lightsaber hilt.

Meanwhile, Nick had found the file they had been looking for and began to read it.

Mission picked up the saber to look at the markings on it, to perhaps identify the Jedi who had lost it. Immediately, alarms sounded throughout the building. Nick looked up in surprise.

"What did you do?"

"It was this lightsaber.. I ... it just went off... I'm sorry!"

"Apologies won't help now!  I have to get this downloaded, and fast!"

"Guards coming!" Bastila said urgently. She activated her saberstaff and prepared to face the assault.

"Mission, help Bastila fend these guys off. Once I get this downloaded, we have to make a run for it!"

Mission nodded and pocketed the lightsaber. The pulled out her own training saber and ran after Bastila, who had already engaged the first wave of guards, her saberstaff swirling in a blur of yellow light.

Mission ran forward, deflecting blaster fire. She adjusted the electrical intensity to the highest it could go, so it would nearly electrocute the victim. She sent a few blows to the guards, and Bastila dealt the final blow. The older Jedi's two blades moved gracefully, and Mission wondered if she would build a double bladed one herself. She'd heard that they were hard to master, but they dealt a serious amount of damage.

"Nick, We're running out of time, here!" Bastila called back to her lover.

"Sorry, Bas! Almost there! Gimme a few more seconds!"

"I'll try!"

"Five... Four.. Three... two... one!! Download complete!" Nick yanked his datapad from the receptacle and stuck it into his pocket. He activated his lightsaber and leapt into action.

"Run!" Nick started backing toward the exit, deflecting blaster fire as he went. "Put your hoods up!" he ordered. "We can't be recognized."

The Jedi pulled the hoods of their robes over their heads and ran out the door. They didn't stop until they reached the Ebon Hawk.

---

"Whoa!" the boy with the pink hair said. "It's like looking in a mirror!"

Newt just stared at him with shock.

"Who are you and what are you doing with my face?" the boy asked.

"Who are you?"

"Kak Rennson at your service. Now who are you? Lemme guess. Something Rennson, right?"

"Newt Rennson."

Kak grinned. "Your parents owned a cantina on Nar Shaadaa?"

Newt nodded.

"Died when you were too young to remember?"

Newt nodded.

"We've got so much in common, brother."

Newt took a deep breath. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't be meeting his actual brother.

"Wanna know why they died? Our parents, I mean?" Kak asked coolly. He seemed so casual about it, as if he met long lost brothers every day.

"I dunno, do I?" Newt asked, trying to be as calm as Kak.

Kak pointed to himself. "Me. I got kidnapped. Our parents went after me, leaving you in the care of their workers. The kidnapper killed our parents when they tried to save me, but they had the help of a former Republic soldier, a friend of Dad's, and our dad appointed him my godfather when he died. But the soldier didn't know about you, I guess. At least, he didn't know until the cantina closed down. He went to look for you and he died. Bye Goddaddy. Time for some black market biz."Newt knew that Kak was masking his pain for his godfather with toughness and jokes. Even though he didn't know his brother that well, he put a hand on his shoulder. "You miss him."Kak shrugged away. "No mushy stuff, affection ain't my thing unless it involves extremely good looking ladies." He grinned. "Back to business. What can I do for you two?"Newt jumped when Canderous spoke up. He had almost forgotten he was there. "We hear you have some advanced tracking systems."Kak nodded. "Only the best what do you need to track?""A missing Jedi." Newt answered."Heh. You don't need a tracker to find a Jedi. Just follow the trail of trouble. Either that or you find me." Kak grinned."I wouldn't be insulting a Jedi when there's one in the room,' Canderous advised."What? There ain't no Jedi around here! They'd shut us down!" Kak started looking around in a panic."You'd be surprised," Newt said. He pulled back the edge of his Jedi robe to show Kak his training saber. Kak's eyes widened. "And I haven't even made the real thing yet, bro.""Wow... My brother is a Jedi. You aren't gonna report me to the senate now, are you?""No. But about that tracker..."Kak smiled. "Anything for family!" He pulled out the tracker. "And since we're related, I'll knock off fifty credits!"Newt frowned at him."Okay, a hundred. I gotta make a living, and these things aren't cheap!"Newt sighed. "Fine. How much is it?"Kak named a figure, and Newt handed him the credits."I hope that you're satisfied leaving us with only one thousand credits.""I hope you're satisfied with the tracker. If you need me, I'll be in the cantina on the corner near the capital.""That's it? You aren't planning on hanging out with us anymore?""Well, your Mandalorian friend seems a little intimidating," Kak flashed a quick grin at Canderous before continuing. "Besides, I said I'd meet you in the cantina.""You said if we needed you, you'd be there.""Exactly. I'll meet you there." He grinned.Newt nodded and took the tracker. He and Canderous went up the stairs and back into the cafe. A few customers sat at the table now, but paid no attention to them.Once they were outside, Newt took out the tracker. "You know how to work this, right, Canderous?""Of course not. I never hunt with assistance."

---

Kak walked out of the cafe door confidently, satisfied with the considerable amount of weight his wallet gained. He grinned at the people in the street, showing off the positive attitude he was known for. Almost everyone that was a citizen of Coronet knew him, though few would guess that he was one of the most successful people in the black market of the entire planet. However, on this particular day, one of the people he smile at didn't smile back. Instead, he received a cold, murderous look from a hooded figure that sent a chill down his spine. Kak quickened his pace and headed for his safe house. He didn't notice when the hooded man pulled out a comlink."I have found the Jedi, my lady." he said in a low tone.A harsh female voice answered. "Good. Kill him."

---

Dun, dun... DUN!!!