Chapter 7

A Tense Meeting

The usually quiet, serene halls of the Galactic Museum now blared with music, chattering, and the clinking of glasses and plates. Countless beings, many of them among Coruscant's richest and most famous residents, walked the floors in eveningwear and expensive jewelry; officers of the Judicial Forces could also be seen, looking resplendent in their dress uniforms; even a few Senators and their staff were present, with their long, flowing robes marking them out as blue-robed Senate Guards flanked them and partygoers lined up to speak with them. The four Jedi stood in a loose cluster in the middle of the room, trying to blend in with the crowd while sticking together and clearly out of their element. Obi-Wan found it difficult to concentrate in the swirling bustle of food, drink, music, and galactic elites.

How are we supposed to find Lok'ayy in here, Master?

Have patience, Obi-Wan: something tells me he'll find us.

Just then, a female Bothan in a yellow dress approached the four Jedi. "Good evening, all of you. Can I help you with something?" "Yes, please. We're here on behalf of the First Bank of Aldera. We're looking for Mr. Lok'ayy. Do you know where to find him?"

"Oh, he mentioned you. Said you had an appointment with him for tonight."

"Yes, ma'am. Do you know where he is?"

"Follow me, please. I'll take you to him."

The Jedi followed the female Bothan to a table at the edge of the room. At its head sat a male Bothan in a dinner jacket, turning his head towards his visitors. That must be Lok'ayy. Standing at his side was a tall, muscular human male, wearing a medium blue uniform with a white helmet, black belt and tall black boots. On his right breast was an embroidered badge. Obi-Wan examined the badge for a moment, and realized that it was the same LMC logo he saw on Kessel. More ominously, a holster hung from the man's belt onto his right hip, holding a heavy blaster pistol. A small electrobaton hung over his left hip, clipped to a hanger on his belt. A Trandoshan and a human male stood on either side of the table, both dressed and armed identically to the man at Lok'ayy's side. However, the man at Lok'ayy's side, unlike his companions, had his helmet's blast shield extended down over his eyes.

They must be security guards of some kind. That blast shield, though…how can he see? It must be some sort of odd one-way glass or transparisteel.

Obi-Wan then noticed something about the tall man with the blast shield. He feels…off. I can't put my finger on it, but I can sense something unnatural emanating from him. What is it, though?

"Mr. Lok'ayy, these are the representatives from the First Bank of Aldera that you wished to see." The female Bothan's voice snapped Obi-Wan back to the moment.

"Oh, thank you. You may leave us, Miss Hux'ter."

"Yes, Mr. Lok'ayy."

With a nod, the female Bothan turned and walked back into the crowd. The male Bothan stood and turned to his guests. He spoke in a disturbingly welcoming voice, like one used to charming others into doing his bidding.

I've only known him for a few seconds and I already think he's another slimy corporate arse-kisser. He could charm the skin off a krayt dragon: he could just as easily have become a politician.

"Ah, you've just met my secretary. Greetings. I am Sull Lok'ayy, proprietor of the Lok'ayy Mining Corporation." "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lok'ayy. I am Hal Ero and this," he said, gesturing to Adi, "is Gia Sage, of the First Bank of Aldera." Qui-Gon gestured towards the Padawans. "These are our secretaries."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Ero."

Obi-Wan noticed the man next to Lok'ayy looking at the Jedi, and something told him that he had been examining them for a while. He wore a slightly bemused expression, as if something about these mysterious visitors surprised him. What is it? Does he know something we don't? Does he suspect us? Lok'ayy seemed to notice his companion's discomfort, and promptly stepped in. "My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. One more introduction to make." The tall man extended his hand to Qui-Gon, and introduced himself in a noticeably curt voice. "Raton Nurkkis, Head of Security for LMC. Pleased to meet you."

"And you as well, Mr. Nurkkis."

Obi-Wan could sense caution in his Master's voice as Qui-Gon shook Nurkkis' hand. There's something dark about him, Obi-Wan.

I sense it too, Master.

Lok'ayy continued the awkward proceedings.

"Well, then, let's all have a seat. Get some food ordered and get down to business."

The Jedi and Lok'ayy sat down, while Nurkkis and his men continued to stand.

"So, what brings you here tonight?"

"The First Bank of Aldera has heard of your highly successful mining ventures, Mr. Lok'ayy."

"Well, many have. What makes the First Bank any different?"

Adi took over from Qui-Gon.

"We are interested in investing in some of your ventures, Mr. Lok'ayy. The Bank would like to back some of your business ventures in exchange for a share in the profits from said ventures."

Lok'ayy paused, clearly thinking on Adi's words.

"Keep talking."

"If this goes well, we can establish an excellent relationship with your company, Mr. Lok'ayy. And, with better relations will come more backing for larger and more ambitious projects. From there, your relationship with the First Bank of Aldera can only strengthen."

"Hmm…sounds promising."

"To better establish what we'll be supporting, though, we would like to ask you more about exactly what your company does. We just need a feel for what we're getting ourselves into here."

"Then we'd better get some more food, Mr. Ero. Can't have questions and answers on empty stomachs."

The group weakly laughed, and then Qui-Gon spoke again.

"So, Mr. Lok'ayy, what exactly do you mine?"

"Primarily mineral resources. Various types of ore, and the like. I can get you anything you'll need in terms of mineral resources, whether you're an industrialist, a jeweler, or anything in between."

"Where? Do you have any particularly productive worlds?"

"A few."

"Anything on Kessel?"

At this, Lok'ayy's fur briefly stood up, before settling down.

"I have some facilities there, but nothing as large as I have on some other worlds. As I said before, I deal primarily in ore, not spice."

"Do you have any new ventures? The sort of things we're interested in financing?"

"I have a number of potential unexplored deposits I've been looking at. If you're interested, I can give you the details. That's enough information to warrant a separate meeting, though."

"Any in particular that show promise?"

"One, on Vodran. I can give you the relevant information on it."

Just then, a waiter droid came up to the table.

"Good evening, sirs and madams. What can I get you tonight?"

The Jedi and Lok'ayy dropped the conversation and went straight to their menus, eager for a respite…

After a hearty meal, Lok'ayy rose and spoke to his guests. "Well, I'd say that meal was fit for a king. Wouldn't you agree?" The Jedi raised their wine glasses in assent. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go open the dance floor. I'll be right back."

"Mr. Lok'ayy?"

For the first time since introducing himself, Nurkkis spoke.

"Yes, Mr. Nurkkis?"

"May I come with you, sir? I remembered something I forgot to tell you earlier."

"Of course. Come."

As he turned to leave, Nurkkis gestured to his guards.

"You two. Stay here with our visitors. I'll be back in a minute."

The guards silently nodded, leaving the Jedi wondering what Nurkkis had to say to his boss.

Do you think he's found us out, Master?

He might have, Obi-Wan. Be alert.

Obi-Wan could sense similar tension in Adi and Siri, and he knew they were communicating similar sentiments through their Force bond.

This night is looking more dangerous by the minute.

Nurkkis and Lok'ayy stepped into an alcove near the bandstand.

"You look troubled, Raton. What's going on here?"

"It's about our visitors, sir. They're not who they say they are."

Lok'ayy's facial expression turned to a mixture of realization and denial.

"All those questions that 'Ero' character threw at me certainly seemed odd. Especially that one about Kessel, given what Ni'Pa told us happened recently…"

Nurkkis cut off his boss abruptly.

"Our 'clients' aren't bankers, sir. They're Jedi."

"What?"

"You heard what I said, sir."

Lok'ayy stood in shock, unable to say anything further.

"H…how? What makes you think that?"

"I know that, sir."

"How?"

Nurkkis tapped his finger against the blast shield covering his eye sockets.

"I'm Miraluka, Sull. Don't you remember me telling you? We have no eyes, yet we see with the Force. The Force shows much more than any eye. We can see it radiating off of those beings with a connection to it. I knew they were Jedi the moment I first looked at them. Their probing questions only made it more obvious."

Lok'ayy paused, and Nurkkis continued.

"You want me to arrange an accident, sir? The boys can find their vehicle…"

"No, there's no need for that kind of violence, Mr. Nurkkis. Still, I must know what the Jedi are doing here. I worry they might be on to our…other activities. Especially after what your friend did to that other Jedi."

That was your idea, you damned half-wit. I only arranged things with Ni'Pa because Vick worked for him and you thought that using one of my old buddies to carry out the hit was a good plan. I should never have mentioned Vick to you in the first place: we wouldn't be here if I had just kept my mouth shut and then told Ni'Pa to send whoever he wanted to kill that Jedi. Instead, I did things your way, and now they've found us.

"You want me to ask them some friendly questions, sir?"

"Yes, Raton. Do whatever you must to extract a confession. Just don't leave too many injuries, and don't kill any of them. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Lok'ayy walked onto the bandstand, grasping the microphone as the crowd looked on. "Testing, testing…Good, this thing looks like it's working. To all who have come here, welcome. I must thank all of you for your presence here tonight, and for your generous donations. It will all go to good causes across the galaxy."

Lok'ayy paused for effect, as the crowed dutifully applauded and the Jedi simply sat in quiet disgust at the cynical display.

"Now that those formalities are over, I'm pleased to tell you that the dance floor is open, and the band is ready. Come on up whenever you feel like it, or visit our well-stocked bar if you're feeling adventurous. Thank you again for being here tonight, and I hope you all have an excellent night."

The crowd applauded as Lok'ayy left the bandstand, with the band walking past him to their positions.

"Master?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan?"

"Can I get up? I need a drink."

Qui-Gon looked somewhat exasperated at Obi-Wan's request.

"Go ahead, Obi-Wan. Just watch your intake."

"Yes, Master."