Star Wars - Coruscant Nights 02 - Street of Shadows

by Michael Reaves

  "Instead," Dejah continued, "I hear laughter. I see smiles. I must admit that, as a Zeltron, this gladdens me." She stopped near the Jedi and smiled.

  "Nice dress," he said.

  "It's part of a set. Wait'll you see the final one—it's made of fire."

  He grinned. He wasn't sure if her pheromones were working on him right now, and didn't really care. All he knew or cared to know was that he felt great.

  True, there were still problems to solve. There was the ongoing mystery of Vader's pursuit of him, and what actions he would take to avenge the murder of his father by the Sith. Also, he had not forgotten that realization, borne through the Force, that Anakin Skywalker was still alive. If so, it meant that he would have to find the young Jedi someday and return to him the pyronium nugget. And he had to decide what action to take regarding the bota distillate. All these decisions would have to be made—in time.

  308 Star Wars: Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows For now, however, it was enough to listen to Dejah's laughter, see her smile, and feel her touch.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Den shake his head and mutter something that sounded like se'lahn.

  I-Five nodded in agreement. He felt a momentary flare of annoyance before he realized that they didn't understand. Attitude was everything in this. It was what got you up in the morning, got you through the day alive. He'd much rather have someone like Dejah at his side than a grim and contained Laranth.

  Someday they'd see that. Until then—

  "Let's go," he said. "Rhinann's there by himself—we'd better make sure he hasn't auctioned off everything on the Net by now."

  It was the droid, Rhinann realized. The droid was the key, somehow. It alone had been present at all the events. It linked them all together: the mysterious pursuit and slaughter on Coruscant, twenty years ago; the events on the planet Drongar, with the Jedi Barriss Offee; and the recovery of the data concerning the mysterious bota.

  The droid was the connection. He knew it; could feel it.

  Haninum Tyk Rhinann leaned back in his chair and smiled. It was a formidable puzzle, with some pieces more than two decades old and scattered halfway across the galaxy. And many of those pieces were hidden in places that were not only hard to find, but dangerous to access as well. It was worth it, however. If even a fraction of what he was beginning to put together was true, it would be worth every effort and expenditure. With the power it promised, he could re-

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  claim his former glory, and more—he could challenge the Emperor himself.

  A challenging puzzle, without a doubt. But the Elomin were good at putting together puzzles.

  Very good indeed.

  310 Star Wars: Coruscant Nights II: Street of Shadows Read on for a preview of

  Star Wars: Coruscant Nights III:

  Patterns of Force

  by Michael Reaves

  Jax rose and padded out of his room into the larger main living area, noticing that the rest of his companions were either asleep or out. I-Five followed him.

  As he moved to the front door of the con-apt, Jax sent out questing tendrils of the Force to the being on the opposite side of the barrier. In his mind's eye he "saw" the energy there, but perceived no telltale

  "threads" of the Force emanating from or connecting to them.

  Every Jedi experienced and perceived the Force in intensely personal ways. Jax's particular sensibilities caused him to perceive it as threads of light or darkness that enrobed or enwrapped an individual and connected him or her to the Force itself and to other beings and things. In this case there seemed to be no threads . . .

  though there was a hint of a—well, a smudge was the only word Jax had that even vaguely fit.

  Curious for the second time that morning, he opened the door, smiling a little as I-Five stepped to one side, taking up a defensive position where he would not immediately be seen by whoever was outside.

  In the narrow, starkly lit corridor stood a short, stocky male Sakiyan in his sixties—or so Jax guessed—

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