Adam was leaning back in his chair, feet up on console. His eyes were shut and he was dreaming. Beep! Adam almost did a backflip out his chair upon hearing the alarm. "What?!"

"Master," Anne spoke with her melodic voice. "We've reached your destination."

"Phew! You scared me. I almost had a heart attack!"

"Master, that is an hyperbole."

"What do you know?" Adam scoffed. "Anyway... bring the shuttle down."

The shuttle entered the atmosphere of Nar Shaddaa. A planet wide city covered the entire surface of the moon, with massive skyscrapers filling the horizon. Dark rainstorms clouded the ecumenopolis. The shuttle touched down on one of the landing pads. Adam grabbed a pistol from the secret compartment, lowered it into his holster, and walked out of the shuttle.

An old, fat bald man walked into the landing pad. He wore a dirty shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a pair of old pants that kept sliding from his large prominent belly. "Landing here costs fifty credits," he said. "Per day."

Adam handed over the cash to the man. "Here." With the owner paid, Adam could now leave the landing pad and head into the city itself. He walked down a narrow street, passing past refugees and beggars. A moment later he finally reached the place he was looking for. Outside the grey building were blinking neon signs advertising "Live Nude Girls" and "Completely Nude". Adam smirked. 'That should prove interesting...'

A muscled human bouncer was standing outside the door. "Hold on," he sternly said. "No violence, no touching the girls and you better pay or you will have your hands ripped off. I ain't kidding. The bouncers inside are Wookiees."

Adam nodded. "Perfectly understood."

"Good. Now get in!"

The bouncer opened the door, which was leading to a staircase. The stairs led up to the club. Colored lights spun frantically about the room. Loud techno music was playing. Adam headed to the barwoman and ordered a whiskey. The scantily clad barwoman filled a glass and Adam threw a few coins on the counter. He sipped the whiskey with appreciation. It tasted like liquid fire. "Good stuff," he said with a wide smile on his face. He took this chance to scan the area with his eyes. Most of the club was made up of the main seating area where naked Twi'lek and human girls danced on stage while men from all kinds of species ogled at them, and in the back was the VIP area.

"I'm looking for Saul Imes," Adam asked the barwoman. "From what I understand he owns this place."

The woman was silent for a few seconds, sizing up Adam. "And who you may be?"

"A client. One that has the money to buy Mr. Imes' services."

The woman handed over a card to Adam. "Go to the VIP area. When bouncers stop you, show them this card. You will find Mr. Imes sitting in one of the tables."

"Thanks."

Adam gulped down his whiskey and headed to the VIP area. All of the sudden, two Wookiees and a human appeared before him and stopped him from entering. One of the Wookies growled loudly. "My friend here," the human translated, "says that the VIP area is off limits. I advise you to listen to him. The last guy who tried to enter uninvited is a cripple now."

Adam sighed. "Here's the card."

The bouncers checked it thoroughly and then returned it to him. "You may enter," the human bouncer said, "but do not cause any trouble."

Adam nodded and walked into the VIP area, which had only a few tables and chairs. Adam looked around for Saul. While he had never met him in person, he had seen a holographic image of his and so he was confident he could recognize him. After a few seconds, he noticed a man who seemed like Saul. He was tall and in his late thirties, with a rugged look of unkempt, asymmetrical long black hair and a shaggy, thick beard. He wore a plain brown suit with a fancy red tie and a dark green pocket square. A young girl wearing a short skirt was seated on his lap.

As Adam approached the table, the man whispered into this girl's ear and she left. "Mr. Adam," the man said with a wide grin on his face, "please have a seat."

"Saul Imes, I assume?"

"Indeed."

Adam sat on one of the comfy chairs. "How did you know my name?"

"What kind of information broker would I be if I did not know about you?" Saul winked.

"Fair enough," Adam leaned comfortably on his chair. "That means you know I've got a very high price on my head."

"Indeed, but I do not deliver my customers to the authorities; it's bad for business." Saul sipped his drink, a glass of vodka. "But I assume you didn't come here to talk about me."

"Indeed." Adam placed a small holographic device on the table. He activated it and the image of a beautiful young brunette woman appeared. "I'm looking for her. Name's Alessandria Rico."

Saul sipped some more of his vodka. "Pretty..."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

Saul clapped loudly. At once the human bouncer rushed to the table. Saul whispered something into his ear and he left. A moment later two young girls arrived. "While my guys dig up info on that girl," Saul grinned, "what do you say we have a drink with those girls?"

"Works for me," Adam chuckled. "Will have an whiskey."

The Jedi apprentice ringed the bell. After a long journey, he had finally reached Anson as Master Skywalker had instructed him to. Upon landing, Darren had at once headed to the hotel room where he was supposed to meet with Agent Naadir el-Maroun. He understood very well that there was no time to waste; if Adam was found first by the Imperial Remnants, it would be catastrophic.

After a brief moment, Naadir opened the door and welcomed Darren inside his room, which reeked of stale cigarettes and cheap booze. "Darren Lorwin, I assume..."

Darren nodded. "Agent Naadir. I've heard a lot about you."

"Don't believe them. I ain't as bad as they say," Naadir chuckled.

Darren smiled. Seeing Naadir joke eased the tension. "Do not worry, I've heard only good things about you. You've got excellent observation skills, are able to make deductions no one else can and you are extremely adept at reading people."

"I have to be, in this line of work. But I believe we should be talking less about me and more about the case. The local Exchange boss is Darndrew Trihop. He owns casinos, brothels and cantinas. He also runs a protection racket; businessmen pay him to keep their businesses safe or they are paid a visit by local gangsters. An all around scoundrel."

"Why do authorities tolerate him?"

Naadir laughed for a few seconds. "Sorry. Thought you were joking. I didn't realize you were that naïve."

"Is belief in the rule of of law naïve?"

"Here? Yes, it is. Look around you, boy. The New Republic is struggling to survive. Much of the Galaxy had already been ravaged by the Civil War that caused the downfall of the Empire, and now a new war is being fought against that Marshal Xi. Resources and manpower that were supposed to go towards reconstruction are directed to the war front. The Republic has neither the men nor the resources to enforce its laws outside of the Core Worlds. Here the Exchange is the law. There is a reason why in places such as Sahir you will find many sympathetic to Marshal Xi; the old Empire might have been tyrannical and cruel, but it upheld law and order."

"It upheld the cruel and unjust laws of tyrants," Darren sternly said.

"Look, I ain't trying to justify those Imperial bastards. If I was, I would be working with the Imperial Remnants. All I am saying is that between anarchy and authoritarianism, the average folk prefer the second." An awkward silence followed for a moment. Naadir sighed. "I've just met you and we are already arguing... I always do that. It's why I told you not to believe what people say about me; I've pissed off many people."

"I can see why... But we should focus on the case, as you've said. How are we going to infiltrate the base?"

"Ehm... it's less of a base and more of a casino; on the top floor is Darndrew's office. We can get in by pretending to be costumers, but problem is that security is pretty tight. The upper floors are restricted to personnel only and are filled with highly-trained guards. Those ain't the usual knuckleheads you find in local gangs; they are ex-military folk with lots of combat experience."

"OK, hold on. You've got a plan, right?"

"I do indeed. I am really good at gambling, which means I'll keep winning. At some point, people will reasonably assume that I've been cheating a-"

"Will you?" Darren interrupted.

"It isn't cheating if you don't get caught," Naadir winked. "When I get their attention and stir up some trouble as I will refuse to leave, you will find a chance to head to the upper floors. Use your Jedi magic to get past the guards and go to Darndrew's office." Naadir handed over a device to Darren. "Stick this into his computer and you should be able to crack it open easily. Copy all files there."

"I am still a novice Jedi, so can't do wonders."

"Whatever," Naadir shrugged. "You seem a smart kid, you should be able to figure out something."

"OK, pause for a moment. I ain't a 'boy' or a 'kid'."

"OK big guy. Jeez. Kids get so easily offended nowadays."

Darren was about to swear but held back. "I am a Jedi," he whispered, "I can maintain my calm."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, old man."

Naadir laughed. "That's the spirit!"

It was late at night but the casino was still busy. Darren and Naadir walked though a golden door and entered a world of opulence. It was full of colorful slot machines, roulette wheels and blackjack tables, glamour girls and high rollers. The tables were spaced out under vaulted golden ceilings and chandeliers. Card dealers dressed in tuxedos were shuffling cards and gambling tables were packed high with stacks of chips. Darren was gaping in amazement.

"We are here for a mission," Naadir whispered, "not for sightseeing."

The two men headed to one of the roulette tables. Naadir placed a bet for thirty thousand credits on red. Everybody standing around the table gasped upon noticing how much he was betting; Darren included. "Where did you find that money?" he murmured.

Naadir leaned and whispered to Darren's ear. "Confiscated counterfeit credits."

The dealer, a beautiful female human dressed as a bunny girl, flashed her brightest smile and spun the wheel. When wheel stopped, the ball was sitting on number thirty red. Some of the onlookers cheered while others scoffed. "I'm betting sixty thousand credits on red."

"You are a bold one," the dealer said. "I like that in men." She winked and spun once more the wheel. This time the ball landed on thirty-two red. The cheering got louder and more onlookers gathered around the table.

"I bet one hundred twenty thousand credits on black." Naadir could hear people murmur that he was crazy, but he simply brushed it off and smiled confidently.

The dealer spun the wheel and the ball landed on twenty-two black. People cheered and clapped. "How 'bout I buy you a drink after I bankrupt this casino?" Naadir winked.

The dealer bit her lips. "I guess we can have a drink."

"That's gross," Darren whispered. "She is half your age. She could be your daughter."

"Yeah, but she isn't," Naadir chuckled. "I'm betting two hundred forty thousand credits on black."

The wheel spun once more. This time, when the wheel stopped, the ball was sitting on number six black. All the onlookers cheered excitingly and more people gathered around the table; among them were some of the casino's guards. For the next fifteen minutes, Naadir would bet on the right color and soon he was betting millions of credits.

"I'm betting twelve million two hundred fifty thousand credits on blac-"

"That's enough!" a bald black-clothed guard shouted. "You're clearly cheating. No one can possibly be that lucky. I will have to inspect you."

"I'm not!" Naadir exclaimed. "That is preposterous! How dare you?!"

Seeing that the man was making trouble, more guards gathered around the table while more people also headed that way to see what was going on. Darren slipped away, walking towards one of the elevators. Only a single guard was guarding it. Darren took a deep breath and approached him. "You will let me take the elevator," he said as he waved his arm.

"Eh?" the man scratched his head. "Get outta here before I beat you up."

Darren sighed; Luke made mind control look so easily, yet it proved to be damn difficult in practice. Darren waved once more his hand. This time he concentrated fully. "You will let me take the elevator."

"I will let you take the elevator," the man repeated and he walked away.

"Phew!" Darren let out a sigh of relief. "That was hard." Darren walked inside the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. As the elevator went upwards, he could hear piped-in smooth jazz music playing in the background. 'At least they got good taste in music,' he thought.

Ring! The elevator door opened. Darren gaped in shock as he saw five guards armed with rifles waiting outside. Upon seeing him, they at once aimed their rifles at him. One of them said, "Who let you up?"

Darren understood very well that this mind tricks wouldn't work. He closed his eyes. He could feel the Force swelling around him. With a decisive move of his arm, he unleashed a Force wave at guards. They were pushed back against the concrete wall. Before they could get up, Darren rushed forward. He grabbed by the hair one of the guards and knocked his head on the wall; his face bloodied, the man collapsed on the ground. The Jedi grabbed his rifle and used it to knock out the second guard. The other three guards, having recovered from the Force Push, had already gotten up and aimed their rifles at Darren.

"Damn..." he murmured. He threw away the rifle and grabbed the lightsaber from his holster. The lightsaber emitted a bright green glow. Upon seeing it, the three remaining guards gasped. They fired at once rapid shots at Darren. He moved his lightsaber rapidly, deflecting the incoming fire back at them. One of the guards screamed in pain and collapsed on the floor in a pool of his own blood. The others kept firing. Cold sweat overtook Darren and his breathing became heavier. He knew he couldn't keep up this for long. He was already feeling dizzy as he tried to move his lightsaber fast enough to counteract the rapid bolts of fire. He had to take action.

Darren charged forward, barely dodging the incoming fire, and plunged his lightsaber right through the chest of one of the guards. Before the last guard could escape, he knocked him out with a powerful back kick that landed on his jaw. "That was a lot messier than I expected..." Luke was always telling Darren to look for the peaceful way, and Darren couldn't help but feel that he had somehow disappointed his Master.

The Jedi apprentice rushed forward. The office was behind a glass door. Darren used the Force to crush it, sending pieces of glass flying all through the office. It was a dream office, with a large desk made from polished, ornately carved dark wood; a computer and other electronic equipment were on top of it and the desk was accompanied with a leather chair. Shelves filled with rare, old books lined three walls and the remaining wall was glass with a view of the vast horizon. One of the walls also had file cabinets built into it, not noticeable at first glance.

As Darren walked into the opulent office, alarm sirens began ringing. It was only a matter of time before armed guards filled the place. Darren quickly activated the computer and plugged in the device Naadir had handed him. It wasn't long before it was cracked open. "It will take about thirty seconds to copy all the files to the device," Darren murmured to himself. "Hope I've got that long." As the copying was completed and the device was plugged out, Darren heard the sound of footsteps. "Damn, they are coming here."

He rushed out of the office. Instead of going the way he had come, he turned left and ran towards another corridor. 'Need to find an elevator really fast.' As he kept sprinting, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the opposite direction. "Damn!" He looked around for anywhere to hide. As the sound of footsteps grew louder, Darren noticed something on the wall. He grabbed the metal cover of a ventilation shaft and slid it to the floor with a clang, exposing a large ventilation shaft in the wall. He quickly grabbed the metal cover and crawled into the shaft; as he squeezed wholly inside, he placed back into place the metal cover to hide himself.

"I thought I heard something!" Darren could hear a man saying.

"Yes," a second man concurred. "A loud clang-like noise. The intruder must be somewhere nearby!"

With no other choice, Darren crawled deeper inside the shaft, hoping that there would be another exit further on. The shaft was tight-fitting; Darren's breathing was labored. He was trying to breath in air, but they air just wouldn't go into his lungs. He was feeling his stomach ache as he was squeezing himself ever more tightly, trying to fit inside the shaft.

'Won't be able to last long… I-' "Eh?" he exclaimed loudly as he saw a metal cover in front of him. He kicked it on the floor, letting it fall with a loud clang. He jumped out of the ventilation shaft and quickly placed the cover back into its place. "Where am I?" As he walked further down the corridor, he saw an elevator. He quickly pressed a button to call it. A moment later the door slid open, just as Darren could hear the guards nearing by. The elevator brought Darren to ground floor. He quickly slipped back to the casino, mingling with the crowd for a few minutes before finally leaving the place.

As he walked outside, he saw Naadir lying on the street with a bleeding broken nose and bruises all over his face. "What happened?" the Jedi asked as he rushed to help the agent.

"Apparently they do not like it when customers cheat," Naadir laughed it off. "You weren't subtle. At least I hope you got the data."

"I did."

"Good. Now let's get back to hotel to check if there is any info that can help us locate Adam."