The cigarette burns out. Krev forgets to light another one from it - while he still can.
It's been four days since his meeting with Alnam. Vad Alnam. Another golden scion the Holonet knows jack about. The Encyclopedia: "Vygo Alnam has a son from his past marriage to Strenua Mallin". Thanks a lot.
Krev's still alive. That's nice. Doesn't put his mind at ease - quite to the contrary.
Sorval's been investigating the shitposting duo. Both Triskin the med student and Agvar the conspiracy theorist blame one another. Triskin says he might have, could have, may have started a discussion without checking the line security first, but then deleted it at once. Sorval thinks that's what tipped the Reps off: unless they sent an operative to every planet from a relay on the orbit of which the ConCare leaks have been posted, there must be something with Telos that sets it apart from the rest.
Alternative interpretation: Alnam Sr. told his boy where to look. Krev doubts it, though. Too much fuss just to get his son a nice easy case to crack. But who knows? What if Alnam Jr. also has his dad by the balls and forced him to give him such a case? Or: the Domestic Security found out about the leaks, Alnam Jr. somehow made a connection to his dad... decided to help the old man out.
Intermediate deduction: Alnam Jr. isn't here for Krev's blood. Could've done him in in the past days. Weak fucking argument, but hey - it'll grow a bit stronger tomorrow. Can be here to arrest him. If that's the case, Krev ain't likely to survive said arrest.
But that's if you assume the Alnams are working in tandem. Something makes Krev feel like they aren't.
His plan: he'll wait for the next telecom session with the old man. If the old man doesn't mention the young one, then the right Alnam knows not what the left Alnam's up to. He doesn't think Krev's stupid enough not to notice the same surname, does he?
Sorval says there's no way to determine where on the planet the leaks were posted from that time. Privacy laws and all that. That sort of information can't be given to foreign agents.
Laws are great, Krev thinks, but this is Telos IV. Nothing a Rep can't do around here - if he's a Rep enough.
They don't abandon their base, though. Moving all the equipment with an RDS man on the planet - or buying new equipment - could be much too suspicious.
Krev remembers what Alnam Jr. said about the attack on the embassy. They suspect it's the work of Human supremacist groups - or so Krev thinks they suspect. He can swear Alnam asked him to gather some info on Human supremacists, however.
That sounds like a plan. The more Alnam thinks about Human supremacists, the less time in the day for him to think about the ConCare leaks.
To feed him real groups would be too easy, Krev thinks. Too easy and too dangerous: he'll realize soon enough they've nothing to do with the embassy. No. Krev will need something more nuanced. A better story.
Next time he meets Alnam at the Two Crowns mall in Coruscant City. The operative is there before Krev arrives - again. There he is, sitting by a hologram waterfall, eating ice-cream.
"Alright, Mr. Devin," he says wiping his mouth, "let's see what you found."
Krev takes a chair across the table from him. "Got some info on those Humanocentrists."
"And the other matter?"
"Nothing so far. But I'll keep digging."
Alnam looks disappointed. "Fine. So what about the 'centrists?"
"Keep in mind: a lot of it can be crap."
It all is, Krev's sure. How else can it be? It comes straight from Agvar the Besalisk's feverish mind. He tried looking some of it up on the Net - to no result.
Good luck, Mr. Alnam.
"These groups," Krev goes on, "as you understand, aren't very public about their activities. I had to look into rumors and such, and even I can't always discern what's genuine and what's not."
"I get it."
"What is more or less certain is that there are two main organizations operating here on Telos. One is The Most Elevated Order of Purity."
"My, my."
"You don't say. These fucks love their weird names. You'd think they were nobility and not cargo droid maintenance workers from these names."
"With a name like that, I find it strange they aren't public."
"Well, anyway. Reports here are conflicting. Some of my informants think it's strictly a Telos IV thing, this Order. According to them, it was founded about forty years ago. Unemployment surged back then because of some new company acquiring the rights to mine the asteroid fields and the rings of Telos VIII. Most of the laid-off workers were Humans."
"I can see where it's going." Alnam licks the spoon.
"Some other people - I'm afraid I can't name any names - claim it's a much grander conspiracy. They told me the Purists date back to, like, the last millennium. They apparently appeared when a non-Human party got a majority in the Senate. Started lobbying some anti-Human legislation, or so the Purists thought. I think Telos was still part of the Republic then."
"Okay - we don't know their history for sure. As shameful as it is, let's proceed. How militant is this Order?"
Krev gulps. "Hard to tell. They apparently were behind some pogroms twelve years back, but it's a mess. Like, twenty different organizations took responsibility. Most of them are defunct now. I was also told they kidnap aliens once a month to sacrifice them in their chapter, but that sounds like banthashit."
A droid waiter brings more ice-cream. Places one cup in front of Alnam and another in front of Krev.
"That's for you," Alnam finds necessary to clarify.
The droid's body hums and vibrates. A curtain in it opens, and the droid takes two of the smallest cafstim cups Krev's ever seen out.
"Yeah, thanks." Krev tries the ice-cream.
It's pretty good, he's got to admit.
"What do they want, these Purists?" Alnam asks when the waiter leaves them alone.
"An alien-free Telos, what else."
"And what's their stance on the Republic?"
Shit - Agvar didn't mention that part, and Krev didn't think to ask.
"Well, what do you think? They don't want anything to do with it. Do you know how many aliens live in the Republic?"
Alnam smiles. "Makes sense."
"Then there's the second organization," Krev says once it becomes clear no more questions are coming. "The Zhell Brotherhood. I've heard a few theories as to their origins, but most seem to agree on one point: that they're funded by the upper echelons of the Republic."
"Is that a fact?"
"Hey, I'm telling you what I've been told. They operate in the Outer Rim, on planets like Telos IV."
"So outside of the Republic?"
Alnam's eyes lose their laziness when he says it.
Okay, Krev thinks. There's something.
"Looks to be the case," he says. "Now, this isn't something I think, alright? So don't arrest me, please, Mr. Agent."
"We'll see about that, Mr. Devin."
"Okay. The reason the Republic - allegedly - supports the Zhells is to create strife between Humans and non-Humans on the affiliated planets."
"What's the point in that?" Alnam asks - but Krev sees it's not just curiosity: the agent's face got that calculating look on it that only men on the right track have.
"Well, from where I look, it's pretty obvious." No other phrase will make Alnam think harder. "So that the aliens can't convince the Humans to join the Separatists. To ally with them - you get my meaning. No secret the Seps appeal to the non-Humans."
Alnam scratches his chin. "Anything else about the Brotherhood?"
"No ritual sacrifices here - sorry. They seem to act in a more sensible way. Propaganda, you know. Framing aliens up. Stuff like that."
"What about names? Locations?"
"None that I know of. And don't ask me to find out - the only people who know them are members or sympathizers. Those are secret organizations, you know. I'm too well-known here to do any undercover shit."
Alnam nods. "I see. What about other groups?"
"These two are the largest ones. From what I understand, all the rest report to them - in some capacity. Some want Human Telos, some want non-Sep Telos. I can look more into it, if you want."
"No need. Let the Intelligence do it, if they want. As for you, Mr. Devin, try to find something out about the other thing."
Like that. Oh well.
He calls Alnam Sr. later that day.
"How is the operation going?" Alnam asks as if he doesn't monitor it.
"The operation demands more funds."
"I see your appetites grow by day, Mr. Devin."
"Not mine - not in this case. But we may need to do some heavy bribing, and soon."
The hologram Alnam raises one eyebrow. "On Telos IV?"
"Color me equally surprised. Well, it's no joke, really. The Republic has heard about ConCare."
"And?"
"The Domestic Security is here. Asking questions."
Alnam looks confused - momentarily.
Krev takes note.
"What do they know exactly?"
"Not much, by the looks of it. No precise information. But they know the leaks originated from Telos."
"How?"
"A technical malfunction."
"Are you sure, Mr. Devin?"
"Ask Sorval if you don't believe me. That's what he told me, anyway. I tend to trust his judgment when it comes to computers and all that stuff."
Alnam caresses his beard. "And you think a bribe will solve the problem?"
"I don't know. But it won't hurt to have some wherewithal in case it will. Unless you have some strings to pull..."
"You greatly overestimate my abilities, sadly. No strings I have are attached to the RDS."
Alnam sounds angry. Does it insult him that he can't do anything about the situation? Or is it the son?
"How much do you think will be sufficient?"
Krev shrugs. "A hundred grand, maybe? Those are serious people, Mr. Alnam. Truth be told, I haven't ever dealt with anybody like that. I have no idea what their appetites can be. Not till I make a proposition. I mean, the bribe... doesn't seem like a very good idea." Krev can't believe how much he believes himself. He should start an acting career when he starts his new life. "Are you sure you can't do anything about it on your end?"
"Whatever I say, I am sure of."
Oh shit. The old man's seriously pissed now.
It's definitely the son thing.
No love lost between these two, huh.
Good to know. Now keep going.
"Well, that's pretty bad, let me tell you. You know, if I try to bribe an RDS official and it doesn't work, we're fucked. But I fail to see any other way out."
"I hope you are not getting any ideas, Mr. Devin."
"You mean-"
"Your friends from Ixtlar are very prominently present in every lockup in the Republic. There are people everywhere who owe them or want the outfit to owe them. And don't believe it if anyone tells you you are getting out of this without lockups - even if you bring me to them. That's not how it works. You're going to spend at least some time in one before the trials start."
"You really think poorly of me, Mr. Alnam. I don't know what I did to deserve it. Was it that I asked for a raise? Well, forget about it, then."
"I do not think poorly of you. I think of you as a person, not a droid fresh off a conveyor belt. I know you feel fear. I know you feel temptation. I know you're a weak-willed drug taker. I know you can be bought. I do not hate you because of it. Nothing of it makes you a worse person than I am. But a person you are, and so I must act in accordance with this fact."
"Don't worry," Krev says, "I won't betray you to the Republic. Wanna know why? Cause I don't believe in you, but I believe in your cause."
He leaves the factory with the marching orders: no rush actions. No more fuckups.
He leaves the factory knowing Agent Alnam isn't Vygo Alnam's agent. One: Vygo Alnam was surprised to hear the RDS is involved. Two: he didn't call Krev out on not mentioning whom the RDS had sent to Telos. And three: Krev believes Alnam's shown his real emotions today.
He leaves the factory with the sanction to withdraw one hundred thousand credits from his - "his" - account.
Which he does. It won't look bad to Alnam: you don't give cashless bribes, and if the RDS really puts Krev's ass on fire, there might be no more banking for him. Better to take precautions.
He puts the hundred grand on four separate accounts in four different banks: ten key in the Galaxy-Wide, ten in the Shir, fifteen in the Nouane First, and thirty in the Yiitlib Commercial. All the accounts belong to Mr. Jezideg Kossar - whose passport has Krev's holopic in it.
That's a Telos passport, though. You can't just travel to the territories of the Republic with it. Well, it gives you benefits - supposedly - when you apply for a Rep visa, since Telos is an affiliated world.
Problem: they check if Mr. Kossar is a real person before they give you a visa.
Krev goes home. Picks up fifteen thousand more from his cache. Flies to the Forest.
"How many passports does a man need?" Atruba, Gzulla's cousin, asks him.
"Didn't know you Dugs learned photosynthesis. Oh wait, it's not gonna help you on this planet anyway. I'll be going if you don't need my money."
"No need for such rush actions, friend. It's just, errr, peculiar."
The old Dug keeps cooing as he puts Krev against the pure white backdrop and readies his holocam.
"Make it a good picture," Krev tells him. "It's for a Rep passport."
"That's a good investment."
"And make sure it's issued at least," Krev blinks when the cam flashes, "at least a year ago."
"I'm not stupid, friend. I've been doing this way before you first started chasing girls. You can't get a Republic ID here on the Four - not unless you go to Atruba, he-he-he. So if a fat Republic customs officer sees you trying to leave the Four with an ID issued yesterday, he's gonna wonder how you got it."
Krev knows it will be hard to stay on Telos once he's got the passport he can leave with. His heart is already synched with Coruscant's. New life's coming.
But he'll have to control his impulses. One hundred grand isn't the limit of what the old man will part with.
And Krev'll need that money. To start a new life, sure.
But also to set a new gig up on Coruscant.