Disclaimer: Star Wars is the Property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm/Lucasarts. The characters who appear in this story are mine. Don't sue me please!

A/N: After something of a hiatus from the site (books take a long time to write!) I'm back with my next fan fic. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 – The Sullustan

Blue Light Parade sped through hyperspace surrounded in a swirling kaleidoscope of blue and white clouds. Not that its passengers noticed or cared. The big passenger liner could be floating in the vacuum of space for all the attention they paid. A few remained locked in their cabins, either alone or with company. Most were occupying the trip on the ship's casino deck, idling their time with hands of sabbacc.

The din was impressive, and for Tadra Di's ears, painful. He never understood how the high-pitched laughter of some of the females could be considered attractive. The diminutive Sullustan winced as he passed by one table, where a human female let out a shrill whoop as she laid down a winning hand of cards, and scooped up a large pile of credit chits. Tadra Di scurried away from the table and the painful babble as quickly as he could, and crossed the casino deck to one of the observation lounges. His big eyes darted left and right, but he couldn't see anyone who paid him any attention.

He let out a relieved sigh as the door hissed shut behind him, cutting out most of the noise to a low murmur. It was dark in the observation lounge, the only source of light coming from the whirling patterns of the hyperspace tunnel beyond the viewport, producing a shimmering gloaming.

It had been a severe mistake taking the Blue Light Parade. But the ship had been the first available craft leaving Ossus that would take him anywhere near to Dantooine. With any luck, he would be able to get transport on another, less crowded vessel to the Jedi Enclave. He had already left a message with them. They would know what to do with it, and Tophur would be there to take it. He could trust him.

He clutched his hands around the satchel slung over one shoulder. The object was sealed inside a plasteel cylinder, but he could still feel it, as if it radiated a cold, terrible aura. That it was of Sith origins, he had no illusions. The markings around the chamber it had been discovered in were in an old Sith dialect. As if the terrible cold it emitted wasn't confirmation enough.

Tadra Di shook his head to clear such idiotic thoughts. Academically, there was no way the object could affect him so. It was just his own imagination at work. Not that it was helped much by the terrible fear that clawed at him ever since he'd fled the dig site, bloody rock still clenching in one hand, the artefact clutched in another.

Had he killed Jool? The blow had been hard, and there was so much blood ...

But what choice did he have? The human had been trying to kill him, for Sith's sake!

Tadra Di didn't understand. What had driven Jool to act like that? He had always seemed so calm and collected. True, he had been eager to enter the buried temple, and had jostled to be first into the chamber, but he was always so, logical.

Perhaps I just don't understand human motivations and emotions, Tadra Di thought. It was entirely possible. He much preferred spending his time absorbed in his holo-logs or down on dig sites on dead worlds that dealing with actual living sentients. The dead didn't question you. Or try to kill you.

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Tadra Di stepped up to the viewport and leaned against the supported rail, almost pushing his nose against the thick transparisteel pane. He found the shifting patterns of light calming, soothing his nerves. Hyperspace was such an enigma. No one quite knew what it was, or how it worked outside of realspace. It was a shame that his abilities didn't lie in astrophysics; Tadra Di would have loved to attempt to solve that puzzle. Instead, he was quite content to watch the pseudo-fabric.

Tadra Di was so entranced by the shifting patterns, that he didn't notice the door to the lounge open and close, nor that he was no longer alone until the newcomer stepped up to stand at the rail next to him. He clutched his satchel tighter and stared up at her.

She was a Twi'lek, the shimmer from hyperspace playing on her smooth, blue skin. Her face was perfect, with a small nose and pouting lips. A scarf had been wrapped around her head, leaving her lekku to hang down her back. Unusually, they had been tattooed in black bands and markings. Some of them were familiar to him, though he couldn't quite place them. Her white missionary's tunic and skirt were unusually tight and clung to her svelte form, and between the folds of her skirt he glimpsed long athletic legs. He could feel his body reacting to her closeness: his face flushed, and when her blue lips parts to smile, his ears turned pink. She was very pretty. A part of him knew it was just a physical reaction to the a particular set of societal rules for physical beauty that he, as a humanoid, adhered to on a base level, but he didn't give a damn. She was alluring, even dressed in plain missionary white. A traitorous thought wondered what she would look like in a slave's costume. He suppressed it.

'Hello,' Tadra Di squeaked.

'Hello,' she replied, in perfect Sullustese. Her voice was silky and soft. 'I take it gambling is not your scene?'

He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak.

She flashed him a dazzling smile again, and the tip of one of her lekku twitched. 'I also. Gambling always struck me as a fool's pastime. Not that the mission would let us gamble anyway.'

Tadra Di smiled nervously.

'So what brings you to a ship like this, if not the casinos?'

'T-travelling.'

She laughed softly. 'So I see. But forgive me for saying, you don't seem much like a people person to me.'

'First ship I could find that was leaving Ossus.'

She cocked an eyebrow. 'Desperate to leave, I take it? I can understand that. It is such a shame the planet was decimated during the war. I imagine there would have been much to see before. Sadly, no more. Just dust and toxic clouds.'

Tadra Di opened his mouth to tell her that the world held a vast repository of Jedi and Sith artefacts, but shut it instantly. He was supposed to keep a low profile. If anyone knew what he was carrying, he would be a dead man, and no doubt. Not that she seemed to notice. Instead, she stared out the viewport, lost in her own thoughts as one finger slowly traced patterns on the transparisteel.

'I'll admit, I'm not much of a fan of these passenger ships myself. But this was the first ship the mission could get me on. I'm joining the Fallastar Mission on Taris. Have you heard of it?'

Tadra Di shook his head.

'I'm not surprised. Few sapients have. We are a small sect, dedicated to health and wellbeing. We're Sisters mainly, of many races. And the force knows, places such as Taris need our help. There are so many destitute living in the undercity.'

'Are you all related?' Tadra Di asked.

'Pardon?'

Tadra Di cleared his throat. 'You said you were all sisters.'

She laughed. 'No, silly. We are sisters of the soul.'

He nodded and stared at her dumbly, not knowing what to say.

The Blue Light Parade shuddered as it dropped out of hyperspace 3,000 kilometres above Taris.

The internal comms crackled. 'Would all passengers bound for Taris please head to deck two. Repeat, all passengers for Taris please head to deck two. The ship will be docking in one hour.'

The woman smiled happily. 'Well, this is my stop. I should be heading to disembarkation. It was a pleasure talking to you.'

She gave a little wave and left the observation lounge. Tadra Di watched her go in a daze. He'd barely said a word to her, and she called that talking? Now that she was gone, he felt as if a breeze wafted through the lounge now that she was gone. He let out a long sigh. He was never comfortable around females. Never knew quite what to say to them. And now she was gone, he just felt relieved. There was something odd about her. Still his hands clutched his satchel tightly.

Alone again, he moved to sit on one of the couches as the ship dropped into a high orbit above Taris. It matched velocity with one of the orbital stations and swooped down toward it.

The station was a big spoked wheel, sitting in geosynchronous orbit above the northern continent. A centre spire rose above the main wheel, and as the passenger liner drew closer, Tadra Di could perceive the long, spindly docking arms that protruded from the wheel. It was to one of those arms that Blue Light Parade was heading for, braking thrusters firing to slow its approach.

Beyond the station, Taris spun sedately. They were on the night-side of the planet, the continents glowing with the light of millions of streetlights. A few areas were darker than others, indicating the poorest sectors of the ecumenopolis that were unable to keep the majority of their lighting active as they slowly deteriorated, but the rest more than made up for it, blazing with a radiance that almost equalled the star's.

With a light touch belying its size, the big passenger ship docked with a loud clang.

Tadra Di's ears twitched. There was the docking collar locking mechanism. The low whirr was the umbilical receptacle closing solidly over feedlines and securing them in place. The hiss as pressure in the docking tube equalised, followed by a whump as the egress hatch unlocked. Followed by a murmur of conversation as passengers left the ship under the direction of the stewards. All orderly and normal. There was no sudden sharp noise of locks thudding into place. No sound of angry voices as security personnel marched onto the ship, barging passengers out of the way. No sound of running feet coming for him.

Maybe he had gotten away. Another jump would put the ship at Borgo Prime. Then perhaps he would know for sure. Tadra Di sat back in his chair and tried to relax. But it was very difficult.

Three hours later, Blue Light Parade undocked from the station. Its big ion engines fired up, pushing the ship out of Taris' gravity well. Once it was clear, the navigator spent another twenty minutes ensuring that the astrogation computer's calculations were correct, and the ship was properly lined up for its jump to Borgo Prime. When he was satisfied, the captain gave the order.

There was a sudden blur of pseudomotion as the passenger liner leapt into hyperspace, and disappeared from the station's sensors.

Lika watched the ship as it departed, her lekku twitching from head to tip.

Several males wandering past glanced at her in appreciation, but she ignored them. One fool even attempted to engage her in conversation despite her missionary clothing, until a sharp, contemptuous stare sent him scurrying away. She could sense the few Twi'lek giving her odd stares, but then they would be the only ones who would understand what the shivers running up and down her lekku meant.

Excitement. Eagerness.

Raising her arm, she tapped her access code into her comm bracelet. Moments later, a light came on, indicating that she had a connection through the holonet.

'Report,' came the terse response.

'Master, the Sullustan has the artefact, as our spy reported.'

'Excellent. Is it genuine?'

'I believe so, Master.'

'Don't think, Lika. Feel.'

'I could feel it, Master. It's a wonder the Sullustan can remain so close to it and not be affected by it.'

'Intriguing. That the device retains its power after all this time is certainly promising.'

'Is it wise to let the Sullustan continue with it? I could have taken it from him with ease.'

'All in good time, my dear. He has already contacted the Jedi. All they would need to do is examine the security logs, and they would track you with ease. This way, we shall give ourselves a little leeway. He must get off the ship at Borgo Prime. He will be vulnerable there.'

'Yes, Master.'

'Very good. Your shuttle is waiting for you in bay 12a. Take it to Ord Mantell. I have a new assignment for you there.'

'Thank you, Master.'

The comm link closed, and Lika turned away from the viewport, sauntering off down the corridor to the main concourse. From there she turned off toward the small craft bays.

She smiled to herself. It was a shame she wouldn't be able to deal with the Sullustan herself. He would have been so much fun to play with.

A/N: Review please!