In her long career in service to the royal house of Hapes, Taryn Zel had been to all sixty-three worlds in the Consortium and plenty outside. She'd always been rather fond of Gallinore, which made this current trip all the more disconcerting.
The planet itself was famed for its carefully main-tained landscapes of forests and fields and lush veget-ation. Even its settlements were constructed of green marble; the city streets were lines with tall trees and spotted with manicured gardens.
It was also famous for its multi-colored gems, which were, in fact, living lambent creatures. The Queen Mother used one as a focus crystal for her lightsaber, and Hapan bio-scientists had built and entire research facility in Gallinore City for the study of the gems and the planet's other fauna.
Therefore, Taryn hadn't been surprised to learn that this Sinsor Khal was based off of Gallinore, or had been once. Tenel Ka knew little else about the man; after doing some research on Hapes Taryn had confirmed her suspicions that Khal had worked for the old Queen Mother, Ta'a Chume, probably as her private researcher. She had no idea what had happened to Khal after Ta'a Chume's death, but the planet's reigning Ducha, Markessa, had been appointed to her position by the old witch, which might have meant something.
Still, a frontal assault on the issue was not what Taryn had in mind. Instead she made her way to the research facility, where a dark-haired young woman was handling visitors to the complex.
Taryn showed the woman her identification without explanation. The woman's eyes immediately lit with surprise upon seeing it. It was an expression Taryn was used to seeing on dozens of faces by now. Most people in the Consortium didn't even know of the existence of the Lorellian Court, the Queen Mother's personal security division. It was fully removed from the rest of the Hapan intelligence and military structure, answer-able only to Tenel Ka as it had been answerable to Taryn's uncle, Prince Isolder, before her.
To women like this one, Taryn's identicard told her all she needed to know: This user has full royal authority. Gainsay her nothing.
The woman- she couldn't have been much younger than Taryn but she suddenly looked childlike- swallowed, put on a professionally bland smile, and said, "What can I do for you today, Mistress?"
"I'd like to see your records for a member of this research facility."
"Of course. May I have the name?"
"He's called Sinsor Khal."
The woman nodded blankly, like the name meant nothing to her at all. It probably didn't. She typed it into her data console; then her eyes narrowed slightly and her lips pressed tight in a frown.
"Well?" asked Taryn, "Is he here or not?"
"I'm… sorry, Mistress. I can't seem to find any record of a Sinsor Khal working here at all."
"I know for a fact he did. It was some time ago, over ten years. Your records must go back that far."
"I assure you they do, Mistress. We simply don't have a record of any Sinsor Khal."
Taryn put venom in her voice. "I'm going to remind you, politely, that I come to you bearing the full authority of the Queen Mother herself."
That got a little panic from her. "Mistress, I assure you, I can't find anything."
She spun the screen of her data console on its pivot to show it to Taryn. The older woman leaned across the desk and saw just what the girl had said.
Taryn leaned back and met the girl's eyes. She saw the fear and pleading there and decided to go a little easy on her.
Voice still firm, she said, "I need to speak with the director of this facility. At once."
The girl nodded and ducked away, clearly eager to pass this mess onto someone else but also a little afraid of getting into trouble with the director.
After the girl made the call she told Taryn that the director was on her way and would be here within ten minutes. She bade Taryn to wait in the lobby and gestured to some of the sofa along the long trans-paristeel wall overlooking a set of especially beautiful gardens.
Taryn settled with pacing, arms crossed angrily over her chest, until the director showed up.
It was an older woman, tall and dignified-looking with steel-gray hair pulled to the back of her neck. She offered Taryn a hand and said, "Greetings, Mistress. I am Director Lovalla, chief of operations."
"Excellent." Taryn didn't bother to introduce herself. She never did when she was on her cousin's business. "Let us go to your office."
Lovalla hesitated for a split-second but covered it well. She nodded politely and led Taryn past the security checkpoint and down the moving walkways leading to the institute's central administration tower. As they were carried down the long glassy connecting corridor, Taryn asked, almost conversationally, "Tell me, Director Lovalla, how long have you been in charge of this facility?"
"Almost sixteen years, Mistress."
"Then you must be quite familiar with its working and personnel."
"Of course."
"Are you the one who makes staff decisions, or do other departments handle their own hiring?"
"I screen and elect department heads, who in turn select their own staff."
"I see. And everything that happens here is under your purview, correct?"
"Of course, Mistress. Everything."
"How often does Ducha Markessa directly involve herself with the management of the Institute?"
"Approximately about as much as the Queen Mother does, I would say."
It was a clever, politic answer. Taryn was quiet the rest of the way, until they reached the central tower and rode the turbolift up to the Director's office. Befitting a woman of her position, it had a high broad window that looked out on Gallinore's verdant horizon.
Lovalla bade Taryn to take a chair on the other side of her desk, which she did. When both women were seated, Taryn said, "I will be direct here. I came to inquire about the whereabouts of Sinsor Khal."
Rather than look surprised, feigned or real, Lovalla's brows drew together in thought. The woman tapped her chin as though considering something.
Taryn waited until she said, "I don't know where Khal is."
"Then he did work at your Institute?"
"Yes. I'll admit that. He was head of a special research team separate from the rest of the facility. His work was highly classified and his presence unknown to most of the staff."
"How long ago did he stop working here?"
She thought again. "Approximately five years."
It had been that long since Ta'a Chume had suffered her fatal aneurysm. "Was Khal ever in the records at all or was he erased when he left the Institute?"
"He was there," Lovalla said, and offered no further explanation.
Taryn frowned. She couldn't tell what this woman's game was, if she was being compliant or trying to hide something. It was times like these that she wished she had her cousin's Force powers.
"Did you authorize the deletion of his personnel files?" she asked.
Lovalla nodded. "That's correct."
"Was it your decision? Or were you ordered to?"
Lovalla looked thoughtful again. Taryn had to fight down the urge to smack her until the old woman finally said, "I was ordered to by Ducha Markessa."
"Did the Ducha also order Khal to be removed from the facility at that time?"
"That's correct."
"And you have no idea where he was removed to?"
Lovalla nodded once more.
Taryn thought she had a sense of it now, Lovalla was trying to protect her hide and her career- of course- and she had surely been weighing her loyalty to Gallinore's Ducha compared to her loyalty to the Queen Mother's agent.
Lucky for her she'd made the right choice.
Taryn decided to press her a little more. "Did you retain records of Sinsor Khal's research here, or was that deleted along with his personnel records?"
"The records were removed along with Sinsor Khal."
"Meaning the Ducha has those also?" Taryn didn't like the sound of this at all.
"That's correct. However, I can give you some summary of his work, if you're interested."
"Very." Taryn leaned forward. "You can begin by telling me what kind of work he did during the Yuuzhan Vong War."