Brenum was pacing to and fro, frantically awaiting a reply.
            ‘Trylia, come in! Trylia, please respond!’ His heart sank and the realisation came to him. It had only been a couple of hours.  ‘How did he get to Nar Shaddaa so quickly?’
            ‘His shuttle must have some high capacity hyperspace capabilities,’ said Talyc, ‘like going to hyperspace while still in orbit.’
            ‘How is that even possible?’ said Knarf.
            ‘You’d be surprised what Imperial Intelligence is capable of,’ said Usharr. ‘And it’s all probably well disguised so no one would ever suspect his ship’s capabilities.’
            Shadie’s comlink chimed. She opened the call. Through her comlink came Lian’s voice.
            ‘I can’t feel Trylia in the Force!’ he exclaimed. ‘She’s disappeared.’
            ‘Disappeared, how?’ said Shadie.
            ‘I always sense the five of you, but her presence feels…shrouded.’
            ‘There’s only one thing I know that can shroud the Force presence of another being,’ said Knarf.  ‘Ysalamiri.’
            ‘This is all my fault,’ said Talyc, bowing his head.
            ‘No, it’s not,’ said Fane.
            At the same time as Fane spoke, Wapita said: ‘Yes, it is.’
            ‘Hey, you’re the one who recruited him,’ said Fane, pointing a finger at Wapita.
            ‘He’s the one who invited him into his bed,’ said Wapita, pointing at Talyc.
            ‘That was more than ten years ago!’ said Talyc. ‘Let it go.’
            ‘And here was thinking I wouldn’t be stuck with your left overs again,’ muttered Wapita. He pointed a finger in Talyc’s face. ‘Every time.’
            ‘It’s not my fault we have the same taste in men!’ exclaimed Talyc.
            ‘Oh, believe me, we do not have the same taste in men.’ Wapita looked at Fane. ‘Thankfully.’
            ‘Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?’ Fane said defensively.
            ‘Stop it!’ shouted Brenum.  ‘Look, this is no one’s fault. Not Talyc’s, not Wapita’s,’ Wapita mouthed a “thank you,” rolling his eyes, ‘not anyone’s fault.’
            ‘Lian,’ said Shadie, ‘there was a recruit on Mandalore, Vax, a Rattataki, and it turns out he’s from Imperial Intelligence. He left the planet some few hours ago and we believe he’s the reason Trylia is shrouded by ysalamiri.’
            ‘Why would the Empire want Trylia, though?’ said Fane. ‘This makes no sense.’
            ‘Shadie,’ said Lian, ‘can you take this to a private room?’
            ‘Give us a moment.’
            Shadie took the lead, Brenum right behind her. Talyc and Fane followed with Knarf behind them.  Nriwe stayed behind, keeping Wapita at bay. When they arrived at a secure and private room, Shadie gave Lian the go.
            ‘I have connected the calls,’ said Lian, ‘go ahead Lord Void.’
            ‘Hello, Shadie.’
            ‘Lord Void,’ said Brenum, ‘what have you done with Trylia?’
            ‘It is not what I have done, and that is the reason for my call.’ Lord Void seemed very calm.  ‘I have just been told by the Head of the Dark Council that the Sith Empire is going forward with its coup against Relsor.  I was not privy to any plans.  There is rumour of an informant that had gotten back to Imperial Intelligence. I have already made plans to secure my name should I be questioned.’
            ‘What else can you tell us?’ said Shadie.  ‘Do you know why an Imperial agent has taken Trylia?’
            ‘Yes,’ came in Void’s voice.  ‘She is to be used as bait to lure Relsor to Ziost.’
            ‘Ziost!’ exclaimed Fane and Brenum together.
            ‘No Jedi I know has been there before, as far I know, but I will be the first,’ said Brenum.  ‘We must go.’
            ‘Lord Void,’ continued Shadie, ‘do you know anything else?’
            ‘That is the extent of my knowledge.’
            ‘Could a ship fly into Sith space without being shot down?’ asked Lian.
            ‘No.’ Void’s words rang true.
            Brenum cursed under his breath. ‘Sithspawn!’
            ‘What about a Sith Meditation Sphere?’ asked Shadie.
            ‘Yes, that I can do.  No Sith will want to take down one of those and I can ensure from my ship that your sphere is ignored.’  There was a pause.  ‘I must go.’
            ‘Then we know what we must do!’ said Brenum.

Continue Reading Chapter Nine

Catch up on previous Star Wars Fan-Fiction from the Shadie story series.

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Mandalore finished his debrief and closed the hololine with the Supreme Chancellor.  A few plans had been devised, but nothing could be determined until everyone knew what was going to happen with the Sith and who they were going to target. The Republic decided to not engage the Sith during their coup against Relsor, instead, trusting that their enemy would end up crippled. Emain had expressed hope that they could take advantage after the fact.
            Talyc looked at Usharr who was still looking through files and files of data.            ‘Are those records of some kind?’ he asked the old Sith master.
            ‘Sith database files,’ replied Usharr. ‘The Dark Council has privileged access to everything recorded by the Empire: from failed acolytes to the latest Hutt scheme that made its way into Sith space.’
            ‘But you’re not of the Dark Council,’ said Talyc.
            ‘Not anymore, because of my exile, but that doesn’t mean my access to these files was ever revoked. I still have friends in the Empire.’  Usharr looked up and winked.
            ‘Clever,’ said Talyc. He was startled when Nriwe came up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders from behind him.
            ‘So I’ve got an old contact on Nar Shaddaa looking for refuge,’ she began.
            ‘Refuge?’ asked Talyc.
            ‘She’s a good fighter, from back in my slaver days.’ Nriwe took a singsong voice and batted her eyelashes. ‘She needs to get away soon and would be a great asset to Clan Kandera.’
            ‘What did she do to need to get away from the Hutts?’ Talyc looked at the Mandalorians leaving the room. Many clans remained, but the room looked much less clustered now.
            ‘Refused to dance!  Believe me, she’s loyal and we can trust her. She needs transport though.’
            ‘All right, well let me run a quick background check on her. What’s her name?’
            ‘Alegna. Togruta, Kaki coloured lekku.’
            Talyc nodded and began looking through his datapad for a Togruta named Alegna via the Holonet. 
            He heard someone’s com chime.  Brenum yelped.  The small holoimage of Trylia came into view as Brenum took the holocall on his comlink.
            ‘Trylia, my sweet!’
            ‘Brenum, I’m all right.’
            ‘Where are you?’
            ‘In a shuttle, on my way…to you.  I’ll explain when I get there, it’s a long story.’
            ‘Oh, Trylia,’ said Brenum.
            Talyc saw a tear run down Brenum’s face, as the others exclaimed sentiments of joy into the transceiver so Trylia could hear them all. Talyc felt relieved, he could only imagine how Brenum felt.
            ‘So tell me where you are so I can enter the coordinates.’
            ‘Mandalore,’ said Brenum.
            ‘Hang on!’ said Talyc, approaching.  He looked at Nriwe and smiled. ‘Can you make a quick stop by Nar Shaddaa?’
            ‘Why, hello, Talyc,’ said Trylia. ‘It’s good to hear everyone’s voices.’
            ‘We’re recruiting a Togruta,’ Talyc explained. ‘Former dancer, greenish lekku. Her name is Alegna.’
            ‘I’ll be happy to. Tell her to meet me at the Promenade, near the market stands.’
            ‘Thank you!’ exclaimed Nriwe.
            Brenum chatted a while longer with Trylia before ending the call. The blue-haired Jedi sat back down sounding and looking very relieved.
            ‘I told you,’ said Shadie.
            Talyc noticed Wapita walking past.  He took his arm and stopped him.
            ‘We’re not done discussing, Wapita,’ Talyc told him.
            ‘There is nothing more to discuss,’ said Wapita.
            ‘So you’re going to keep denying sending your recruit to spy on us just because you want to keep tabs on the Jedi and our Sith compatriot?’
            ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said Wapita, shrugging and shaking his head.  ‘Mistrust you? Mistrust Clan Kandera? Maybe. But even Dargoza wouldn’t stoop so low as to spy on other Mandalorians. We spy, we win what?’
            Talyc shook his head.  ‘Where is he anyway?’  He looked around.  Vax had been there earlier, had spoken to them, and now he was nowhere to be found.  ‘It’s convenient that your recruit disappears the minute I’m confronting you about him. What are you plotting?’
            ‘I’m not the one who’s been to bed with him,’ said Wapita. 
            ‘Oy!’ Fane approached.  ‘Don’t talk to him like that.’
            ‘What? It’s true.’ Wapita crossed his arms. ‘Maybe the old lover has a problem with your new lover, Talyc. But I know nothing about it.’
            ‘So you never sent him to spy on us? To keep tabs on us?’
            ‘Mandalore’s honour,’ said Wapita. ‘I know nothing of it.’
            ‘I found it!’ exclaimed Usharr.  Talyc turned around, as the attention of all who were present – the Jedi and several dozen Mandalorians – turned to the old Sith. This one looked at Talyc and Wapita.  ‘Everyone is going to want to see this.’

Continue Reading Chapter Eight

Catch up on previous Star Wars Fan-Fiction from the Shadie story series.

Perhaps you’ll also enjoy Stardust Destinies I: Variate Facing; fantasy action-adventure taking place in a realm strong with magic where prophecies are dictated by dragons. https://binkyproductions.com/stardustdestinies