Chapter 12: Maw Installation
There were beacons, subspace mini-frequency transmitters, tracing a path through the black hole cluster that was the Maw.
De'shar's silver craft moved through the swirling gases around the black holes. White marker lights, held just outside event horizons, flared to life as it approached, casting no shadow against the crisp white lines of the ship bathed by light from gases circling the holes.
Inside, De'shar sat at a side console employing the sophisticated equipment needed to find the Imperial beacons usually keyed to certain ships. Sidi Driss was at the yoke and Kell at the lasers, just in case. Corran stood looking out into the color storms, trying for a glimpse at the calm supposedly inside.
Just as there was, maybe, a normal space ahead De'shar motioned for Corran to come over. She pointed to a resolving holoimage of a cluster of asteroids, poised like gravitational high-wire walkers in the center of the cluster. "That's it."
Corran nodded, and looked back ahead. Round and ovoid shapes were in view now as the ship slid from the black hole cluster; spherical buildings and a few asteroids connected by durasteel and transparisteel tunnelways.
Predictably, as Corran turned to the main console the comm toned with a message from the station.
Corran signaled for Sidi to stop their approach and keyed the comm.
"Come in unidentified craft." The voice was filtered and mechanical.
Corran immediately leaned over the console and spoke. "This is Corran Horn of the Pheahia. We are representatives of the New Republic. We have an appointment with Leeondro K'saavis about an item of new technology."
There was silence on the other end for a time. Corran held his breath. If K'saavis did not let them in under the guise of rebel Republic agents seeking to find Imperial Remnant technology, they would have to get information on the time machine forcibly-something none of the Jedi wanted to do.
They got permission to dock at an external port of the station and disembarked, leaving Sidi to keep watch on the ship. Inside it was new looking, white halls with strange greenish lighting. A male Twi'lek with indigo lekku hanging down next to his white face met them at the hatchway.
"Corran Horn."
Corran extended a hand to the Twi'lek, but it was ignored. Kell and De'shar had formed up behind him like bodyguards, Kell obviously Jedi with her lightsaber unhidden. De'shar and Corran were dressed in unassuming spacer's jumpsuits.
"I will take you to Lee K'Saavis." The Twi'lek said, and turned and began to walk. The Jedi's team followed.
Across a clear tunnel and into a larger, dark stone structure, the Twi'lek was silent, but as they went deeper in he spoke very quietly to Corran. "No Rebels come to see K'Saavis." The orangish eyes glittered. "If you are not who you say you are he will know."
Corran said nothing. There was slight apprehension about meeting this mysterious inventor, but it was pushed away, in the tradition of the Jedi.
Eventually they came to a white, unremarkable door, and the Twi'lek stepped aside and indicated they should go in.
Behind the door was another door, and two hulking Whiphid bodyguards, dressed in light battle armor over their bristly brown fur. One, him on the right now, was clearly a neutral-dark Force-user, and Kell acted appropriately wary.
The Whiphids passed scanners over them, searching for hidden weaponry, and finding none, had them leave blasters and lightsaber here between the two doors. This was fine with Corran; he had no plans to attack, and a Jedi was never truly defenseless. He felt the one Whiphid's mind passing over his own and could easily hide his Jedi nature from it.
The second door opened onto a large office. It was plain, typical of any manager or bureaucrat, save the dark carbonite-frozen body against the near wall. Within the metal was a Nautolan, head-tails splayed around its head like the curving rays of a stylized sun. Corran turned his eyes away. Leeondro K'Saavis himself sat behind a large white desk holding a glowrod, datapad and a few flimsiplast printouts. He was an older man, with black disheveled hair in a short ponytail. His face was lined and unbeautiful, as if the skin had been reconstructed a few times. His eyes were lively and blue, and he wore a red, outdated uniform under a white lab coat.
Corran gave a curt bow. "Good day, Mr. K'Saavis."
"You also, Corran Horn." His voice was warm and accented slightly, like that of a Coruscanti senator.
It was an opening that obviously gave no revelation or quarter. Corran began his rehearsed speech. "It came to the attention of the Republic that there was developing technology moving in and out of this station. We intercepted something that seriously injured a military commander. We request information about this object."
"Which technology would that be? There are many things shipped from here to Imperial space, perfectly legally, of course."
"Shipped?" De'shar immediately sputtered. "More like smuggled. Your agents had clear intention to use the technology against the investigating official. Under Republic law this is considered assailing."
During this utterly unplanned speech Corran had been readying a hand-held holo-projector. Now he activated it and a rotating image of the louvered machine captured at Master Skywalker's disappearance resolved.
Leeondro K'Saavis seemed completely imperturbed by De'shar's accusations. He came from behind the desk and looked at the machine. He passed his hands over it once, almost a caress.
"Yes, I know this one. A great machine."
"What does it do?"
There was a shrewd gleam in K'Saavis's bright eyes. "It is a time machine. I sent it to Imperial space because the modifications that were to be made were to great to work here. Had I gotten that machine back I could have set it to open an access to any time. I of course have another copy being prepared, but had not there been this unfortunate accident..."
"It was not an accident." Corran said. "The Jedi team was tracking the aforementioned smuggling. Your agent set the thing for ten years ago and activated it in my colleague's hands. Who knows where he is now. We need him back."
K'Saavis nodded, mixed sincerity and malevolence. "This one you lost was a Jedi, correct, as you are?"
"Yes." Corran said, catching himself far to late. "He is Jedi."
K'Saavis's smile slipped onto his face like a thief at a heist, a sliver of white teeth. "This has been a security misstep unworthy of the Imperial network. But at least there is one less Jedi in the universe."
The door behind them opened and the Whiphids lumbered in with the white Twi'lek and two armored humans behind them, all holding heavy blasters.
De'shar bristled; literally her ears and fur standing on end. Kell looked coolly at the Whiphids, Corran at K'Saavis, the inventor at them all with that disconcerting smile.