Kas munched on a drumstick, savoring the crunchy skin, and soft juicy flesh inside. The faint sound of water coming out of a showerhead continued to flow out of the bathroom. Licking his fingers, and placing the drumstick bone on a plate full of its brothers, Kas lay back, his hands behind his head. “Vessana!” He cried out. “That shower has forty two apertures for spewing hot water. Try pushing buttons randomly.”
A pause, then the sound of water doubled in intensity. Moments later, it doubled again.
The things you can buy with money…

You can buy anything but love. Love… the one intangible. Even the force can be purchased… in a way.

bzzzzzzzzzzzztttt The doorbell rang, and Kas hit the unlock button on his remote. With a phoosh of compressing air his bodyguard Hual entered. The man bowed slightly, and walked up to the Secretary of State. “Sir, we followed the man like you asked. He hopped a ride to the lower levels, to a bar/hotel combo. The…Nurf’s Turf Inn. He had one drink; I verified this with the barkeep. He acted strangely the whole time… very strangely. Like his drink was some sort of cleaner. After that he left, and I put two other men on his tail.”

Kas nodded, and replied. “He’s probably already spotted your men, and probably spotted you too. The fact that he didn’t loose you means that he doesn’t really mind being seen, or he’s planning to loose you when he gets a feel for his surroundings. Or it could mean something else altogether…

Keep me informed.”

Ren… Ren… so many things you don’t know about me, and that I don’t know about you…

Once again alone, Kas reached for another drumstick. The sound of water ceased, and movement was heard in the other rooms.

So many things no one knows… so much pain we all endure. An itch started at the base of his neck, and worked its way straight down his back, ending just above his waist. The old scar again. He didn’t scratch it; he knew that the itch would go away.

So many things to hide. Vessana was heard mucking about in Kas’ room, probably searching for some clothing. Hers were cumbersome for now, just a little too much for the temperature Kas liked to keep his rooms at.

If only I could tell you, my old friend…. I’ve known you for three years now, and you never found out… The now stripped drumstick left Kas’ hand, flying in a perfect arc toward its other naked brothers.

I will help you, old friend. I will help you and your bride Vessana came out of the door, dressed in a loose grey robe, and a light shirt. Traditional Haku wear that Kas liked to keep around just incase a few emissaries dropped by. The drumstick landed with a soft thud amongst it’s brothers.

I will help you find this Lupercus. Vessana sat down opposite to him, her eyes full of the one question on her mind.

But my help comes at a price, old friend. Kas spoke to Vessana, his voice gentle. “Yes, I do have some information for you.”

You shall find out soon enough Vessana leaned forward, her hands beginning to clasp, and unclasp. “Yes?”, her voice trembling slightly.

Ren dropped into a scrap and electronics dealer on the way back to pick up a few needed items.

He threw his purchases in a burlap sac that he slung over his shoulder. A holo-recorder and some candles that he'd bought slipped out and bounced onto the floor. Ren reached down and picked them back up, securing them back into his bag, when he caught sight of those VC guards that had been following him since the bar, peering in through the window.


<font color=lime>"Excuse me, have you got a back door to this place?" <font color=white>Said Ren, turning to the sales clerk.


Pointing back behind the counter, the man directed Ren through the storeroom and out of the building, safely into a gloomy back alley.


....................................


It wasn't long before he was back at the apartment. The impact of his experience on the balcony had disappated, and his senses were returning to normal.

The vision was . . . groundbreaking in his eyes, to say the least.

He had been presented with a possibly ending to this tale, a final nail in the coffin of this trip. Whatever the outcome, he would no longer be detered by his feelings in the matter.

He had a job to do and a duty to his love to fulfill, and he couldn't waste anymore of thier time with this.

<font color=CC3333>Information... the one thing they had nothing of was now being offered to her. And in that breif second, a war raged on inside her.

With what information Kas held, they could find Lupercus and her children. But in doing so, everything would change. She would have to go back to Dakkon, her children were the heirs to the Hapan throne and she would not deny them knowing their father. Her return would bring back every ounce of pain and suffering Dakkon had gone through when he had thought her dead, reopening wounds that had since then healed.

Vessana would not contest the throne, she would leave that to Dakkon's new wife, but the children - as Dakkon's first - would be the ones to claim it in future years, not any that he and Jasmine would bear. That in and of itself could throw the Monarchy into chaos.

Could she, in good conscious, do that to her people? The people she had loved and devoted years of her life to even before she had rose to take the title of Queen Mother.

But in the end, she was a Mother now first and formost to her children, and she could no longer bear to be without them.

" Yes," Vess spoke in a hushed, trembling voice. " Tell me, please."

Kamon winced as they stopped.

"I highly doubt you will ever get me to ride that thing again."

He thought for a moment as he got out of the transport. He decided to let the issue slide for the moment.

"It doesn't matter what he was after right now. What matters is that we find them. I'll need acces to all of your nav charts and data. I need to pinpoint where he jumped from here."

He stood and stretched.

“VC is very well equipped intelligence wise, much better than some may know, or think… we like to keep tabs on our competitors, and in doing so, we stay above the curve. Understand now, Vessana, what I tell you goes no farther than that door there.” Kas pointed at the main door, and continued. “Lupercus has a signature… style shall we say. Always there are a lot of deaths, unessessary deaths. Perhaps you remember the Sith attack on Naboo? Lupercus was involved in the attack.”

Pausing for a breath, Kas sorted his thoughts out slightly. “Lupercus is not stupid, far from it. He has covered his tracks well. So well, that we can only surmise about his present location, or where he will strike next. But, he has made a mistake. He got involved with a girl, and this girl happens to work for us…
Jai Solo, smuggler, and also, shall we say- Lupercus’ mistress. We’ve tracked her, and watched her when they are together. It is our professional opinion that he is somehow… using his power to aid in her physical attraction to himself.”

Kas let this sink in, Vessana’s face staying stone cold still. He could see that either they knew this information, or she didn’t see of how it was useful to herself. all she wants is a name. The name of a planet, or a star system.

“I cannot tell you where Lupercus is at this moment, or where his base is. But I do know that he is entangled with ID Tech, and that Jaina is somehow entangled as well. Too many vacations, and a lot of times where she is un-reachable… I have sent a few men to go get her, as she is on Bonaden now, hopefully we will get some information out of her.”

Kas stopped speaking and reached for a glass of water. Picking it up, he offered it to Vessana. “Thirsty?”

<font color=CC3333>Vessana shook her head absently, her mind trying to register everything she had just been told. She suddenly rose to her feet, as though the sofa she sat on was burning her, and began to pace.

" Jai Solo, I've met her once, at a wedding reception I think it was. It's been a while, though I saw her at the celebration of Jasmin's coronation." Nervously Vess pulled on her fingertips, aware of Kas' eyes following her every movement though paying them little heed.

" If Lupercus is manipulating her she may not want to help us, at least not willingly." Vess paused in her pacings, momentarily staring into nothingness before spinning on her heals to meet Kas' gaze.

" I want to talk to her myself."

I want to talk to her myself

“That’s fine with me. Though, it may be hard for you to extract any information from her. She is a very stubborn girl, and you, a stranger. I warn you, she usually cares little for the problems of strangers; it runs with her line of work.”

Kas stood, the glass of water in his hand. Shrugging slightly, he raised it to his lips, and drank. flash hot light, a young man. He had committed a crime unspeakable, but would not give away the names of his compatriots. “All yours, my lord Pu’ti…” he would crack quickly, pain was not the only way to get information out of an unwilling subject…flash

Kas shook his head, clearing the momentary fog, and suppressing the memory ruthlessly. He would not resort to such drastic measures unless it was absolutely required of him. Jai would not be that stubborn… I hope…

The bright rays of Bonaden's sun filtered down through the planet's atmosphere is waves of mid-day warmth. One couldn't waste such a day indoors, Jai Solo surely had no intention of doing so. At present, she was basking in the glow of the sun atop Vinda Corp HeadQuarters. She had toted a towel and a bottle of water up the many flights of stairs and made it up to the top of the building about 11am.

She took in a deep breath and spun around, taking in the whole 360-view of the city. It was beautiful...and the perfect spot to get a tan. Jai laid out her towel and took off her robe to reveal a rather skimpy bikini. She laid down and slipped her sunshades down over her eyes. The pulsating, refreshing warm rays washed over her body as she slipped her water.

"Mmm, it doesn't get much better than this.", she commented to the wind...or so she thought.

"No, Miss Solo, I bet it doesn't."

Jai sat up so quickly and so alarmed that she knocked over her water and flung her shades off her face. "Oh! You startled me, Boys. Geesh, don't sneak up on me like that!"

Before Jai stood two very burly, very brutish VC strong-arms. "We're sorry, Miss Solo. But we're here to escort you to Mr. Katta."

"Kas? Uh...why didn't he just 'com' me if he needed me?"

"He want's to see you in person, Miss."

"Oh...wow...well, ok. I need to change, but I'll be right down."

"No Ma'am." "You don't seem to understand." "Our orders are to stay with you till Mr. Katta gives us leave."

Jai raised an eyebrow at the two men as she stood and gathered her things. "Oh..." This didn't sound good.

"And another thing, Miss Solo, Mr. Katta isn't in the building." "We're to take you to his personal flat, located away from HQ."

Jai hopes suddenly jumped. Kas wanted to see her and he'd sent her escorts and he wanted to meet in his private flat!!! Jai had to contain her excitement in front of the two men. For her reputation's sake, she couldn't let them realize that she had a bit of a crush on her superior and that she was hoping this was more than a business meeting.

Ooo, I'm so glad Lup isn't around. If he could read my thoughts right now he'd kill me!

"Shall we...Miss Solo?"

"Oh! Yeah..sorry...yes, let's go." Jai snapped out of her daydream and lead the way to her room. After leaving the two men in her living room area with glasses of tea, Jai went in her room and changed. She came back out in black low-rise pants, black polished work boots, a black gunbelt (DL-44 included), a white T-shirt, and a dark gray vest(with a ton of hidden pockets full of hidden weapons). She had left her shoulder length brown hair down and not bothered with a ponytail. "Well, Boys, ready to go?", she asked, as she tied the bottom of her blaster's holster to her upper thigh.

Once the trio of Jai and her two 'escorts' left her quarters, they exited VC HeadQuarters and made their way across town. They pulled to a very chic building made up of hundreds of private flats. "This way, Miss Solo."

Jai was practically bubbling over with excitement. She'd never been to Kas' place before; she hadn't even know he had a place away from HQ till just then. Jai followed the men up a few stories to a large door. They positioned themselves on either side of her and one of them put a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, heh, what's that for? Think I'm gonna try to run or something?" Jai chuckled lightly...but the men chuckled omninously, and Jai's bubbly mood sank.

"Um...hey, Fella's? What exactly am I here for anyways...?"

Kas’ com vibrated twice, and fell silent. Jai was here, waiting outside the door with her two "escorts". Turning to the pacing Vessana, Kas spoke. “Jai is here, please, have a seat in that corner. We’ll work a little psychological warfare in before the questions begin.” Dimming the lights as he walked to take his place for the little charade, Kas’ thoughts turned rather grim. Potential traitor… potential kidnapper… potential mistress to a terrorist… Jai Jai Jai. I hope for your sake things go well here… innocent until proven guilty… and the guilt hangs right over your head…


The doors opened, and Jaina stepped forward, into a dimly lit room. The smell of fried drumsticks, and some strange fruit hung heavily in the air. The only light coming into the room streamed through a window, coming in blue through a filter. The form of a man was silhouetted in front of the window, sitting with one leg up, and leaning on one hand. A voice, soft but firm, came from the figure. “Have a seat there Jai, we have a few questions to ask you.”


Kas watched Jaina sit down on the chair mentioned, folding her hands in an ever so slight show of nervousness. The light, while hiding himself, highlighted her; making her body fairly glow, and her eyes dilate. Pushing a button on his com, Kas buzzed Vessana, prompting her to speak. I truly do hope you answer correctly Jaina… … I truly do.

Sharply, his eyes opened and Ren shot up from his bed.

As much as he'd come to terms with what he saw in his vision, the recurring scenes that played out in his dreams when he lay down where far to intense for him to keep his eyes shut for any extended length of time.

He had been asleep for just under an hour after he sneaked back into Kas' apartment, which gave him time to ponder why Kas' guards had been tailing him.

Granted, Ren wouldv'e been overly cautious if one of his associates came to him like he did, asking for top market information. However it wasn't like Kas to do something like that, why would he have kept this hidden?

Many unanswered questions.




He picked up his gloves and cloak and put them on.

The bedroom door slid open with a soft hiss, and Ren strolled out, the crisp leather from his boots, cracking with each footstep.

A new face was sitting in the room.

A woman. This one he recognised.

He noticed kas was putting on quite the elaborate show.



<font color=lime>"Sorry to interrupt" <font color=white> Said Ren, sarcastically, glancing in Kas' direction. <font color=lime>"Miss, Jaina Solo, I believe?"

<font color=white>"Um, yes." Murmered Jaina, feeling rather taken aback. "How do you know my?"

<font color=lime>"Name? Well let me put it this way, your reputation preceeds you. And so do criminal reports.

<font color=white>"And who might you be?" Said Jaina defiantly in response.

<font color=lime>"My name is Ren Janggar." <font color=white>he stated bluntly, dropping down into one of Kas' couches with a rather bemused look.



This situation is getting more and more unecessarily crowed by the day.