== Chapter Fourteen ==
The unique sounds of Zabraki classical music filled Davege's ears as he relaxed on the small couch in his quarters. He was listening to his favorite piece in the genre: Tra'zom's twelfth sonata for quetarra ensemble. In spite of the wildly-varied emotions that this particular composition expressed throughout its twenty-three movements, the Imperial captain found that it both invigorated his mind and calmed his soul. The extreme dichotomy between the loud and chaotic to the quiet and flowing passages reminded him of the order that the Empire had restored to the galaxy after having swept away the mess that the Republic had become.
The Prosecutor hung unmoving in interstellar space at the edge of the Corporate Sector, awaiting further orders after discovering the bizarre massacre at listening post Gamma-342. The sector commander was baffled by Davege's report and was uncertain how to handle the unusual situation so the issue was elevated to Moff Quel, the regional governor. Davege wanted to track down the killer or killers himself, but he had to wait while the proper procedures wound their way through the Imperial Navy's chain of command. Being the proper officer, he kept his annoyance to himself.
I don't need some bureaucratic twit to tell me what I already know to do!
Davege sighed and took another sip of ryll tea, a mind-expanding drink he considered to be a more civilized alternative to alcohol. The door annunciator then rang, breaking him out of his calmed state. He deactivated the music player.
"Enter," he barked as he put his tea down.
In walked Jorn, the chief medical officer. "Sir, I've found some information you may find, well…informative."
Davege stood up and adjusted his uniform tunic. "Come and sit, Doctor." He motioned to the chair in front of his desk as he sat in his own on the other side. "Let's have it."
"I think I figured out whom, or rather, what was behind the attack," Jorn said as he sat down.
"Enlighten me, if you please." In all the years he knew Jorn, Davege never liked his habit of not sharing information without being prompted first.
"Sir, I believe the killer was an Anzat."
Davege leaned forward over his desk with disbelief painted on his face. "An Anzat? I think you're mistaken. They're just myths, legends."
"With all due respect, you're mistaken. They simply keep a low profile when they're amongst other races; except for this individual, apparently."
"Anzati were mentioned only in scary stories we heard as children to keep us from defying our parents. 'Eat all of your vegetables, or the Anzat will come and suck your brains out!'" Davege punctuated his mockery with a laugh.
Jorn frowned. "Scoff if you will, sir. But Anzati are real, and one or more of these individuals attacked Gamma-342."
"Ridiculous! That could've been done with some kind of device."
Jorn waved his finger. "I thought of that as well. However, the holes in the back of the sinuses don't quite match that notion. If a machine bore or punched through, there'd be signs of imperfections, even microscopic – rough edges, cracks, and the like. These holes were perfectly smoothed and elliptical, almost as if they were formed from acidic dissolution."
Davege sat back and clasped his hands together. "So what do you suggest, Doctor?"
"Captain, Anzati live only to feed on other sentient beings. The personnel of Gamma-342 are likely not the only victims in the region."
Davege ground his teeth in thought for a moment. "Very well. If that's the case then we should have a trail to follow. We can't let this alleged Anzat wipe out any more of our outposts in this region. That would leave us oblivious to any rebel movements through the area." He shook his head and frowned. "But we have to wait for the Moff to direct us before we can do anything."
"Perhaps you could be proactive," Jorn said with a clever smile.
Davege raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"I suggest we send an inquiry to all Imperial agents posted throughout the CorpSec. Perhaps someone's seen something."
The Captain slowly nodded his bald head. "Yes. That could give us the trail we'd need once we get the go-ahead. Well done, Doctor. You're good for something other than viral vaccinations and limb amputations."
Jorn chuckled. "So that's why you've kept me around all these years."
A few days passed since Ja'Ina's first race and she was determined more than ever to win the next race in two days' time. After a couple days of intense training, Kath let Kurloh and Ja'Ina go and experience more of the sights Etti IV had to offer.
The streets and businesses were crowded during the local midday hours, and Ja'Ina, Kurloh and Fitty were right in the middle of it all, where they wanted to be. Etti IV was the crossroads of commerce in the Corporate Sector, and just about anything a person would want to purchase was for sale.
The Sector Police, or Espos, had a conspicuous presence throughout the city. The distinctively brown-uniformed officers patrolled the streets, intent on keeping the public in line. All it took was the sight of an Espo to remind one of the harsh consequences of illegal activity. The Espos looked more like soldiers than law enforcers, and to them protection of the peace was a higher priority than the rights of citizens.
While it was normal and legal to openly carry weapons on Etti IV, Ja'Ina's scimitar drew more than a few quizzical looks. She carried the gently-curved cortosis sword diagonally on her back with the hilt extending behind her left shoulder, ready to be drawn from its baldric at a moment's notice. The archaic weapon attracted a pair of Sector Police officers who then intercepted Ja'Ina and Kurloh on the crowded sidewalk. Fitty accidentally bumped into Kurloh, not paying attention to what was going on in front of him.
"Waddya have there?" one of the officers asked as he pointed to the sword.
Ja'Ina could sense that the Espos had nothing better to do than harass her and Kurloh. Slightly annoyed, she grumbled, "It's a back scratcher."
The Espo stepped up right in the petite woman's face. "If you're gonna be sassy, you're gonna take a trip to the detention center for further interrogation."
Remembering what Berini had warned about the Sector Police's harsh treatment of prisoners, Kurloh nervously cut in. "Please excuse my friend here, Officer. She's just having a bad day." She flashed a wordless warning to Ja'Ina through the Force.
The other Espo rested his hand on the hilt of the stun baton hanging from his belt. "She's gonna have a worse day if she keeps it up!"
Ja'Ina took a deep breath and cleared the irritation from her mind. "You're right, Officer. I'm sorry."
The first Espo extended his gloved hand. "Let me see your permit for that sword."
Ja'Ina shot a quick glance to Kurloh. Stretching out with the Force, she spoke clearly and evenly to the Espo. "You don't need to see my permit."
The officer slightly cocked his head back and narrowed one eye, as if he was confused by her words. "What'd you say?" he asked.
Ja'Ina took another slow breath and repeated, "You don't need to see my permit." The swirling currents of the Force began to wrap around her target's mind. She deposited her words onto the flowing ribbons of the Force, sending them directly into the Espo's psyche. You don't need to see my permit.
The second Espo impatiently cut in. "C'mon, let's have it or you'll be taken in for unlicensed possession of an unusual weapon."
"No, no," the first Espo said, raising his hand to cut him off. "It's okay. We don't need to see her permit. Everything's fine here."
"Huh?" his confused partner said.
The Espo turned his head and looked straight at his partner. "Everything. Is. Fine. Here. Are you deaf?"
"Naw. But these two had better keep their noses clean!"
"You heard him," the Espo said to the women. "Move along."
Kurloh quickly grabbed Ja'Ina's arm and pulled her away from the Espos. Fitty followed right behind them.
"Your first mind trick," Kurloh excitedly whispered. "I'm impressed; envious, but impressed!" She winked to her friend.
Ja'Ina stumbled and rubbed her forehead to stave off the headache that manifested as a result of her efforts.
"Hey, are you okay?" asked Kurloh.
"I'm fine, just a little winded. Honestly, I wouldn't have been able to keep it up any longer if he continued resisting." She took a deep breath.
Kurloh smiled. "Let's get some lunch. That'll help you feel better."
She prowled the crowded streets of Etti IV alone, just as she had ever since she arrived, looking for her next feed. This time, however, she was looking for a specific target, even though her efforts may prove to be futile.
She enjoyed watching swoop races, if for no other reason than to watch these foolish lower beings needlessly kill themselves in the reckless spectacle. While it seemed a waste, there was something about the carnage that she relished. It only served to prove that they were beneath her and good for only one thing: feeding. But in the last race she attended, there was one particular contestant that struck her as being profoundly different. There was some kind of presence about that racer that had drawn her attention stronger than any had before, and she had to find him. The essence she sensed marked that racer as a being that could very well give her the best feed she had ever had in her life, so rich that it could probably sustain her for weeks.
Narrowing her ghostly grey eyes as she scanned the inferior beings around her, she intently searched for her prey, hoping that he would be in sight when she sensed his presence. She knew he had to be nearby, somehow she knew it.
The hunger had yet to hit her, but it wouldn't be too long before she'd need to feed again and would have to pick her prey from the masses around her and wait for another day to find the swoop racer, whoever he was. The next race was the day after tomorrow and she was going to be there. If that individual was going to compete in the race, she would figure out his identity and hunt him down. She smiled at the thought since the likelihood of finding him was looking much better.
As she continued walking down the busy street, an irregular sound that broke through the background noise caught her attention. What she found nearby was a pair of brown-uniformed CorpSec police officers questioning a female Togruta and a petite, darker-skinned human female. She chuckled to herself as she observed the altercation between these lowly beings, finding it entertaining to watch them bicker with each other as they went through their ultimately worthless lives.
Then she felt it. She felt the unmistakable presence of the mysterious swoop racer she was looking for.
Turning her attention away from the spectacle, she scanned her surroundings more intensely than before. Her pulse raced with the anticipation of finding and feeding on this rare individual. She quickly shifted her eyes from one being to another, locking her sights on each one as she checked for the source of the energy.
Not this one. No. Not that one either. Definitely not the one over there…
She was unable to connect the sensation with anyone she saw. The life energy continued to grow stronger and she grew angry and frustrated as she wasn't able to find him. He had to be very close, and his soup must be very potent indeed to emit such strong sensations. But where was he?
She drew a strong inhale through her nose and intensified her focus. Her eyes darted in all directions, desperate to connect a face with the energy. She literally followed her nose, disregarding all else around her, until she found herself standing a couple of meters behind the Togruta and petite woman, who were still talking to the police.
She disappointedly shook her head. The energy was intensely strong right here, but only these two females and the Espos were here. The racer was nowhere to be found.
"You don't need to see my permit," she heard the woman say.
Then one more burst of the life energy hit her, nearly overwhelming her and threatening to drive her mad; the potency and strength were difficult to for her to withstand. She stared straight at the woman and when the realization hit her, her eyes widened.
It's her! She's the swoop racer!
She sensed a similar aura around the Togruta, but the human was clearly the racer she was looking for. Before she aroused any suspicion, she quickly retreated to a more discreet location but still close enough to keep track of the pair.
Her luck was more than she could've imagined. She found the racer with the potent life essence and a second one with the same kind of presence. She had to contact her mate. There will be more than enough soup to share with him, and she needed his help to ensure that both targets could be taken down quickly and quietly.
It had been a while since she had been in contact with him; as always she had mixed feelings about being around him. They loved each other, but he tended to lose control more easily when it came to his hunger, and that made him dangerous. Sometimes his hunger made him violent, which in the past caused him to blow his cover and even on a couple of occasions to attack her. Too often, she found herself standing up to his unstable mentality to be the voice of reason. Sometimes, it was better for her to be off on her own.
Since she knew that her targets would be at the swoop race in two days, she decided to let them go for now. She would contact her mate and tell him about what she had found. They parted ways a couple of standard months ago to travel through different parts of the CorpSec. Hopefully he was close enough to Etti IV to make it in time for the race, if he hadn't already gotten himself killed through his indiscretion.
While she could control her hunger for a while, she wouldn't be able to stave it off much longer, especially with the exceptional quality of the prey she'd just found. Her appetite was whetted more than it ever had been before in her life, and she was going to satisfy it with or without him.