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Treachery at Kalla
By AllyKat
Chapter Three: Machinations

Darnas Kolatat made his way through Galactic City's level number 50. The sun never reached this far under the city. Glow-globes illuminated the dirty streets and shifty denizens who preyed on the weak and unwary. Kolatat's robes and hood hid his furred face and distinctive Bothan body. There were a variety of beings that inhabited the seedy lower levels of Coruscant, but still a Bothan would be noticed, and many here made their living selling information. Darnas lead the type of life where recognition might mean death from a rival, or incarceration by the authorities. He held no desire to be recognized on Coruscant, or on a great number of other star systems, including his own home planet Bothawui.

The Bothan felt some relief that there was no law enforcement presence this far under the city. It was thought that anyone who traveled to the lower levels did so at their own risk. It had been many years since Darnas had been on Coruscant, but he did remember the danger. Strapped to his right arm was a MM9 wrist rocket, and he concealed a palm shooter in his left hand. He had a small blaster in holster strapped to his ankle and another blaster in a holster around his waist--all this hidden by the robes. However, it was his more his aura of boldness that kept the skulking marauders away. He walked like a being unafraid, prepared for a fight.

His destination lay just ahead; a tavern called the One-Eyed Hutt. The building flanked other equally disreputable establishments, a pleasure house and a drug den . A buzzing glow sign above the tavern flashed a red and green outline of a huge green, slug-like Hutt with an eyepatch.

The tavern was filled with the usual mix of low-level denizens--a mixture of creatures and aliens from dozens of star systems. Kolatat bypassed the main bar and made his way to the back of the room to the mouth of a hallway lined with doorways leading to private facilities. Just like thousands of other taverns across the galaxy, what went on behind these closed doors was rarely legal.

A bouncer droid stepped into Kolatat's path; its mechanical hand hovered near its blaster. "These rooms are private," it intoned. "Do you have a passcode?"

"Obtego ectum," he said in his rough voice. He knew not what it meant, only that it was the key for entry.

"You are expected," the droid said but didn't step aside, "however, you must relinquish your weapons before proceeding." The droid ran a weapon detector over the Bothan's body. "Two blasters, wrist rocket and a palm shooter detected." A steel bin slid open from a durasteel clad wall. "No one proceeds armed."

Darnas hesitated. Normally he would have walked away, however there was the tempting matter of the very generous payment offered by this mysterious employer. He dropped his weapons into the bin and it closed seamlessly back into the wall.

"Room eight," the droid said and stepped aside.

Darnas found the room halfway down the hall, pressed his hand to the pad sensor mounted on the wall and the door slid silently opened. He had utilized his own extensive spy net, but he was unable to discover the identity of this nameless employer. Darnas had to admit he was curious.

The room was small, holding only a table and four chairs. Darnas stepped inside and the door closed behind him. Expressionless, he regarded the well-dressed human male who sat at the table, his face in shadow. A red-colored drink, the rim of the glass lined with various exotic fruit, sat before the man. It was untouched though there was a pool of condensation on the table. The man had been waiting for some time.

"Right on time," his prospective employer said, speaking precisely, his voice revealing him as an educated man, telling a lot about him. Educated and rich judging by the clothing revealed by the dim light and the fee Darnas was promised. "I'm impressed."

"I avoid Coruscant so you're lucky that I'm here," Kolatat said. "Tell me why you've sought me out."

"I have a job for you Darnas Kolatat," the man said simply. Face still in shadow, he extended his arm and held up a small holo projection unit and activated it. Over the unit appeared an image of the CSA president Yeurii Oomin. "This is your target."

The assassin's hood moved as he nodded. No wonder the human was prepared to pay handsomely for this hit. "Planetary security around Kalla is tight, and patrols are difficult to bribe. No doubt Oomin will have his own personal Trandoshan guards around him," Kolatat said. "This is not a job I can do alone. I will have to hire extra men. Good mercenaries do not come cheap and they will cost you extra."

The man hesitated, but Kolatat knew the human would relent despite the exorbitant hit fee. Without false conceit, the Bothan knew he was one of the few assassins with the expertise and connections to pull off this task.

"Very well," the human conceded as Kolatat had expected. "An extra twenty thousand Republic credits will be transferred to your account on completion of the job. And you must kill him before any agreements with the Twi'lek are signed."

"You speak of the ryll spice regulation debates. The smugglers have much to lose if the spice is regulated."

"Perhaps," the man said. "Many organizations rely on illegal spice trade to fill their coffers."

Kolatat could read between the lines. Knowledge, as any Bothan knew, was power. So his employer was a spice smuggler. Darnas mentally cataloged this bit of information that might help him discover his employer's identity.

"Consider the job done." Kolatat bowed with the barest of smiles curving his lips, eyes gleaming. After this hit, he could comfortably retire on an outer rim planet. Perhaps even marry and set up a normal household.

"There is one other matter," the man said. "One of my associates is a member of Oomin's court. They will contact you once you land on Kalla."

"Why do I need this associate?" Kolatat stared suspiciously into the human's shadowed face. He did not like working with unknowns. "And how will they know where to find me?" When the human replied, Kolatat could detect a smile in the tone of his voice.

"Oh, they will find you, don't doubt that. And you will need their assistance to get into the palace and to handle a new development in the regulation debate." The man laced his hands on the table. "Chancellor Valorum has asked the Jedi High Council to dispatch two Jedi."

"Jedi!" Darnas spat. Jedi always complicated matters. "I can work around them, I just have to be more cautious."

"My assistant can handle the Jedi," the human said. "You worry about Oomin."

* * * *

Satisfied with the outcome of the meeting with Kolatat, Corporate Sector Senator Nemo Palak sat back in his seat and sipped his fruity alcoholic drink. He laced his hands over his lap and smiled, but that smile faded at the chime of an incoming holo-message. He reached in a pocket and drew out a palm sized holocomm unit and pressed a finger on the receive stud. He frowned at the image of his ryll spice pilot.

"I told you not to call me here," he ground out, his voice low.

The Sullustan pilot's round dark eyes bulged nervously. "You must pardon me, master," he said in accented basic, "but we narrowly escaped boarding by Corporate Sector patrols. We are currently in the Tion Hegemony," the Sullustan said, referring to a group of planets, a haven for smugglers and thieves near the corporate sector. "I dare not come out of hiding."

Palak's hands clenched. "Stay where you are until I contact you. Soon this ridiculous dispute will be over." He disconnected, his good mood evaporated.

End of Chapter Three