Ren’s abrupt question, which carried an unveiled accusation of shady dealings, jolted Kas. He hadn’t expected something so… crass… or blunt.
Going on? What does he mean by that… Reviewing in his mind the past couple of hours, Kas realized that he
had been acting strange, in a cautious way of course. “How would you expect me to act Ren. A Jedi Master arrives, and not only wishes to be kept secret, but wishes to speak
personal with one of the top three men of Vinda Corp; the largest corporation in the galaxy. Ren, I’m no longer a captain in the fleet. Taking only one guard with me down to the spaceport was… foolish on my part, to say the least. And you, not wanting to be seen coming in. This isn’t chicken scratch here Ren; something big is going down. Now that I know what has happened” Kas pointed to the door they had left, “I can understand your caution. But… I still like to keep my rear covered. The men you evaded… or thought you evaded, they were sent by me to cover up anything that might happen. Think about it… a Jedi Master, not exactly a commodity frequently seen, gets in a fight. Questions begin to be asked… how did he get here? Who is he? What’s he doing? Your face has been published a few times, evidence would be found tracing you to me soon enough. If you were here “honestly” there would be no problem. But… under cloak and dagger… scandal for me. And I don’t like scandal.”
Kas stopped for breath, and looked at his friend. Ren was nodding slightly, as if it made sense. I almost believe you Kas. But it’s too perfect an explanation. Too pre-rehearsed. Ren’s expression continued to hold the slightly expectant look it had held since he had formed the initial accusation. He was waiting for the real thing.
Footsteps. The duo turned, and saw Jaina came out of the other room in a huff, almost bowling into Kas. She stopped, and walked around the two, then looked at Kas.
what have I done? What did she do to you Jai? There were tears in Jaina’s eyes, and her face was red. Her whole body language spoke of a caged animal, and her eyes said betrayal.
What did I do? I allowed those two to be alone… Kas’ mind raced through the possible sinarios, and came up with one.
Desperate mother… and one link to her children. Jaina doesn’t give up information easily, I doubt she knew much anyhow…
Kas could hear Jai’s footsteps on the stairs, heading down. The jovial attitude that he had strived to keep the whole day cracked.
Those eyes… that utter look of betrayal… Turning to the door, Kas’ forced his feet to move. One step, two steps, three steps. Inside. Vessana was standing like a pillar, looking expressionlessly at the door Jaina had just used to flee. Her face looked like it was about to melt, as if all hope was gone. Kas didn’t even notice it. Walking toward her, until he was nose to nose, he glared. “Vessana, I hope you found your information. It was stupid of me to allow someone in your condition to be left alone with your only hope. How I could have been so blind is beyond me. I just pray, that for your sake, Jaina does not do anything foolish.”
With those words squeezed out, Kas turned and exited the room. The door was getting used a lot today. He walked straight toward the balcony on the north side, until his feet hit the railing. Looking down, he saw Jaina exit the building, and head toward the monolithic VC headquarters. Doing something he rarely did, for fear of once again loosing control, Kas
reached out for Jaina. Implanting a though without being detected was a trick that took much practice, but he had had centuries of practice.
I should go to the fiftieth floor at VC headquarters. Jaina thought.
Yes, that’s what I should do. They won’t be able to follow me there.
His speeder rose vertical for a few meters, clearing the balcony. The driver hit the accelerator, and the luxury vehicle swept away, heading for VC Headquarters.
“….Mr Katta? Secretary Katta? Are you there sir? Sorry to disturbed you sir. I hope your recorder is on. We ran all the checks you asked, cross-referenced them, and cross-indexed them. The com frequency calls and Miss Solo’s trips do line up sir, beyond coincidence. Tracing Jaina’s jump vectors, as well as her reentry ports, as well as the signal blips we get from the transponder on her ship every time she enters hyperspace, we feel it is a safe assumption that her “other” trips have led her to the Perave System. That’s all the information we were able to glean Sir. Please, remember much is speculation, and we here wouldn’t bet our lives on the information.” The com shut off, and Ren looked at Vessana. The smell of drumsticks hung heavy in the air, the fruity aroma gone.
