Jude Watson: Jedi Quest 10: The Final Showdown

"Our contact is a businessman named Teluron Thacker," Obi-Wan said.

"He's done favors for the Jedi in the past, and he agreed to help us if he could. The meeting place isn't far."

Anakin felt a touch on his shoulder and turned. No one was behind him.

Perhaps it had been a leaf brushing his shoulder — but he knew, of course, that there were no trees on Korriban.

Another touch — Anakin whipped around. He looked at Ferus, wondering if he was trying to play a trick on him, but Ferus was several meters back, talking to Soara.

He began to pick up a whisper. Then another. He couldn't make out the words, only the intent. Someone was baiting him, cajoling him, laughing at him… or was it his imagination? Was it just the wind whispering through the stones?

They crossed the street and he thought he saw a flash of something — blood coursing down a stone wall. When he blinked, it was gone.

"Master… "

"It is the dark side of the Force, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "I'm picking it up, too. Ignore it."

But Anakin couldn't ignore it. There was something insistent about the voices. Something that urged him to answer. Although the feeling made him anxious, he also wanted to face it. He wanted to get to the root of this dark power… to match himself against it… to prove, once and for all, that he was as strong as it was.

Obi-Wan stopped outside the small cafc. It fit the coordinates he was given, but still he hesitated. Was it even open? The cafc was small, dingy, and in serious disrepair. Half of the roof was caving in. It was a wonder anyone would go inside at all.

"What is it, Master?" Anakin asked.

"Teluron Thacker is a prosperous businessman," Obi-Wan said. "Why would he frequent this kind of place?"

"You think it's a trap?"

"I'm not getting a warning. But still…" Obi-Wan shook his head. The problem was the energy on this planet. Dark waves buffeted him from every side. It was like swimming in an evil sea. All that darkness made it hard to distinguish what was a true threat.

"It could just be a case of not wanting to be seen with us," Siri pointed out. "One of us should go in first to check it out."

"I'll go." Anakin and Ferus spoke the words together.

"I will." The words came from Ry-Gaul. He strode forward, pushed open the rusty metal door, and disappeared inside. No doubt Ry-Gaul's height and size would serve to deter anyone who wanted to challenge him.

The rest of them waited, every second wearing on their nerves. Finally Ry-Gaul emerged and said, "He's there. All clear."

They followed Ry-Gaul into the cafc. Apparently the sagging roof scared off customers, for only one man sat inside, at a table near the door. He hugged a mug with one hand and kept his eyes darting from the door to the roof, as if expecting it to crash down at any moment.

Teluron Thacker was a tall humanoid with pale skin and the soft look of a being used to spending time indoors, sitting down. He greeted the Jedi with a nervous nod and drew his red cape around his body.

"Thank you for seeing us," Obi-Wan said.

"The Jedi helped my home world of Eeyyon," Thacker said. "I pledged to help whenever I could."

"How do you find yourself on Korriban?" Siri asked.

"Just lucky I guess," Thacker groaned. "I angered my boss. Such a little thing, but she was so touchy. So I didn't check references and the deal went bad. What's a few million credits? The next thing I know, I get handed an assignment to open an office on Korriban." Thacker shuddered. "I haven't slept through the night since."

Obi-Wan signaled to the bartender to bring a round of drinks. In such a place, it was better to place an order, even though he wouldn't touch anything they were pouring. He waited until the bartender slammed down a pot of grog that slopped over the rim, then dropped a pile of not-too clean mugs onto the table.

Thacker leaned over and whispered. "I wouldn't drink that if I were you."

"Thanks for the tip," Siri said. "What can you tell us about the two beings we're pursuing?"

"Only that they are here," Thacker said. "A human man and woman have been seen. They match the descriptions perfectly. I checked the one hotel and several guest houses, and they aren't registered."

"They wouldn't use their real names," Obi-Wan said. "Did you give descriptions?"

"Well, I said a man and a woman, traveling together," Thacker said.

"Did you try anything else? Is there a database for arrivals and departures?"

Thacker shook his head. "Nobody really keeps track."

"Have you looked into whether any businesses here are a cover for Omega's enterprises?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, no," Thacker said. "Naturally I want to help the Jedi. But it is not wise to ask too many questions on Korriban."

"Why?" This question came from Ry-Gaul, and it stopped Thacker in his tracks.

"Uh, because." Thacker shrugged. "Because that's what everyone says."

Obi-Wan exchanged an exasperated glance with Siri. It was clear that Thacker wasn't going to be much help. He was too intimidated by even the rumor of possible problems.

"I should warn you about something. You know that the Commerce Guild has its own army? Well, there's a division here," Thacker said. "They say it's out of necessity, to protect the business workers from petty crime.

But spider and surveillance droids are everywhere. If Omega and Zan Arbor have any contacts in the Commerce Guild, they could have access to all the surveillance information. Which means they could see everything."

At last, a piece of information they could use. But what else could Thacker tell them? Obi-Wan didn't want to leave the cafc without a solid lead. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Zan Arbor has expensive tastes," he said. "She is most likely not too thrilled to be here. There doesn't seem to be much luxury in Dreshdae."

"It's a stinking rot," Thacker agreed.

"Yet there are business executives here, creatures used to having the best of everything," Obi-Wan said. "There must be something for them. If you're looking to buy special items, where would you go?"

"There's a loose kind of black market," Thacker told them. "Run by thieves, of course. Supplies are low, there are no stores, and it's hard to even find essentials, like blankets or thermal capes, even though this dump of a rotting death-hole freezes your bones. They rob when they can — from the better buildings, the offices. No hotel room in the spaceport is safe.

They've made some hits on ships coming in with supplies for the Commerce Guild executives."

"So how do you get in touch with this black market?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It's on the outskirts, in a plaza that's in ruins — that is, if you can tell ruins from the rest of these crumbling, cracked-up excuses for buildings." Thacker's darting gaze flicked to the ceiling. "I can give you the coordinates. If you want something, go at dusk. Ask for Auben. She's the best of a bad lot — she won't cheat you and she knows everything that's going on. I've bought a few things from her myself. But watch out for the army — the executives in the Commerce Guild are tired of buying back their own items. They want to smash the black market."

The Jedi stood.

"One more thing," Thacker said. "The army isn't your only concern.

Auben might be less than cooperative. She won't trust you. And she's heavily armed."

"That won't be a problem," Obi-Wan assured him.

Dusk on Korriban lasted for hours, beginning in midafternoon as the weak sun slowly made its descent. The shadows cast by the buildings on Dreshdae seemed thick and full of menace. There had been an attempt to install glow lights on the streets, but they were staggered in odd patterns. As the Jedi walked toward the plaza, they moved from light to shadow. They knew it was dusk only because the light was failing. There was so much cloud cover that they could not see the sun. The clouds just deepened to a dark red.