Ever since the BIL's terrorist attacks on Maressa, Lemurya, and Shaldonia, Sham-Vi-Diin had been awaiting some kind of reprisal from the Cerean separatists. When it didn't come quickly he allowed himself a modicum of hope that, just possibly, Syne's very public crackdown on the BIL would dampen their desire for vengeance.

In the end, he wasn't surprised when the CPF's reprisal came; he was surprised by the boldness of it. He'd been working with the BSA's interrogation teams when the news came through, and Korr-Mad-Narr had immediately called him back to headquarters to talk over the matter.

Sham-Vi-Diin found the BSA director in his office, watching or re-watching the broadcast that had, by now, been played by every news channel on Bavinyar and probably in the entire New Republic. It showed a tall Cerean with a long black beard pacing up and down in front of rows of captured human, waving an E-11 blaster rifle in the air as he talked. Yet despite his violent, thuggish countenance, Palt-Ri-Gen's words were crisp and controlled.

"For the good of Bavinyar," he said, "For the good of all its citizens, Jadesei Syne must relinquish her post immediately. This is the only way we will have justice for Pohl-Had-Narr and for all the innocent civilians who had been butchered in the recent offensive by the Bavinyar Independence League.

"It should be clear to everyone that Jadesei Syne has come to the highest office on Bavinyar thanks to BIL violence. She has made a show of trying to take down the terrorist organization that put her in power, but we all know it is only a show. Where is Aviran Kolin? Where are the humans responsible for murdering our democratically elected Prime Minister? Unless Syne can show us she is serious about bringing peace to Bavinyar, for all Bavinyari, she must stand down immediately.

"I want no further bloodshed, but until we have a leader who is capable of ending the BIL and bringing us justice for our dead, the bloodshed will not step. These humans you see behind me are not hostages. They are prisoners of war. The mining facility on Leonal has been used to funnel money and supplies to the BIL for years. Syne knows this. The BDF and even the BSA know this but they've done nothing. In the name of the greater good of Bavinyar, I, Palt-Ri-Gen of the Cerean Patriotic Front, have taken it upon myself to remove Leonal from Kolin and Syne's war machine.

"I only pray that the rest of my fellow Bavinyar will finish what I've started and remove the Bavinyar Independence League from our world. Only then can we all have peace."

When the transmission was over, Korr-Mad-Narr sighed and turned off his holo-projector. He spun in his chair to fix a dark glare on Sham-Vi-Diin.

"He's played his full hand," the director said. "I give him credit for his bravery. While Kolin sulks some-where and hides from justice, Palt-Ri-Gen lays himself out."

"Director, what are we going to do?"

Korr-Mad-Narr's glare didn't go away. "At the moment we're standing by, awaiting instructions from our prime minister."

Have we sent people to Leonal yet? Have we laid down a perimeter?"

"No. I suspect Syne wants to use the BDF for that," Korr-Mad-Narr sniffed. "Frankly, I'm not certain she trusts us."

"Then, sir… Are we to do nothing?"

"The future of this entire planet is at stake. I assure you, we will not do nothing."

"Then what will we do?"

"Plans are in motion. Detective, I want you to remain at BSA headquarters until further notice. We're going to need you in the days to come."

"You mean to investigate the BIL? Sir, I'm so sorry we haven't been able to track Kolin."

"I know, Detective, but that's now what I mean. You're an established face thanks to the investigation. We've already put you in front of the holo-cams and we may need to do it again."

"What do you mean?" Sham-Vi-Diin felt a spike of dread run down his spine.

"That's not important. I just want you to be ready, Detective."

"Then…. What should I do until then?"

"Report to your office. Stay there. Gather all the materials you've gathered on Kolin, Pohl-Had-Narr, and the BIL and be ready to give a full presentation at any time."

"To whom? The press? Prime Mnister Syne?"

"Your colleagues in the BSA," Korr-Mad-Narr spread his hands. "Can you do that?"

Sham-Vi-Diin nodded stupidly. "Of course, Director."

"Then do it. Dismissed. I'll contact you when the time comes."

Sham-Vi-Diin knew when he was supposed to shut up and go. He shut up and went. In the short time it took to go back down to his office his sense of niggling dread only increased. He remembered that Korr-Mad-Narr hadn't made any mention of his partner in the instigation; granted, Sham-Vi-Diin hadn't seen much of the younger human yet either, but his face would be just as important for the holo-cams.

By the time he got to his desk Sham-Vi-Diin finally admitted it to himself. Korr-Mad-Narr sounded like a man preparing for a coup.

Odds were good that Korr-Mad-Narr would be monitoring his comlink. Thankfully, years of experi-ence in counter-terrorism and planetary security had taught Sham-Vi-Diin a few tricks. He locked the door to his office and began a series of modifications to his comm that would scramble his outgoing call. Then he dialed up his partner Aryon Ven and waited for the human to respond.

When he heard the click of the call being received, Sham-Vi-Diin said in a low voice, "Detective Ven, can you hear me? Please respond."

"I'm right here, sir," the other said.

"Detective, what is your location?"

"I'm at the spaceport. I just got a sudden lead to the Pohl-Had-Narr case."

"Really?" Sham-Vi-Diin stiffened. "What kind of lead?"

"It would take a while to explain, sir. I'm sorry I haven't been keeping you updated on my progress. I'm just about finished, sir. I haven't received any instruction from headquarters. Should I be coming back now?"

"No," Sham-Vi-Diin said at once, firmly. "Whatever evidence you have, I want you to keep it safe. I want you to keep yourself safe. Any information you can gather about whoever is actually responsible for these attacks may be what we need right now."

"I understand that, sir, but why should I avoid HQ?"

Sham-Vi-Diin swore under his breath. "Detective, I don't know if it's safe for you right now. Do you have someplace else you can go, someplace no one else knows about?"

After a long tense pause, Ven said, "I think so, sir."

"Good."

"But sir… What's happening?"

"Nothing yet. But if you do receive orders from headquarters, let me know before you do anything. Is that clear?" There was another pause. "Please, Detective. I need you do trust me. Can you do that?"

"...I think so, sir. And if I find anything new about the Pohl-Had-Narr's murder, can I come to you with that?"

Sham-Vi-Diin considered his situation: practically on lockdown, a prisoner in his own office, desperately hoping he could hide his activities from superiors he found he could no longer trust.

But Aryon Ven's situation sounded just as bad. If Korr-Mad-Narr really was involved in some potential ouster of the prime minister, there was no way he'd let a human BSA officer into his trust. Sham-Vi-Diin barely even knew the young human, despite working together for over a year. Suddenly it seemed like they had no one to trust but each other.

"Yes," he said at last, "But communicate only via commlink, understand? I'm not sure if the communi-cations system in the office is secure."

There was another long, ominous pause before Ven said, "I understand, sir. I'll let you know. And… thank you."

"Good luck, Detective."

"Yes, sir. You too."

The line clicked off. Sham-Vi-Diin sat back in his chair and waited, waited, waited for someone to come for him. But he waited, and no one came.

-{}-

When the news came from Coruscant, Behn-Kihl-Nahm was hardly surprised; only disappointed. When he went to Princess Leia's quarters to deliver it, he was actually a little relieved to find that Gavrisom was already there. One look at the grim expressions on Leia and her husband told him the Minister of State had explained everything, saving Behn-Kihl-Nahm himself at least a little bit of trouble.

As he joined took a seat in the sofa across from Leia, the Cerean offered the meager comfort he could. "At least," he said, "Minister Beruss was able to delay the vote until you return to Coruscant."

"I'm not sure what good that will do," Leia leaned forward like a heavy weight were on her shoulders. "Fey'lya already had enough support to push through a re-hearing of his first bill. That says a lot as it is."

"I know your place is in the Senate," Gavrisom whistled, "But what do you wish us to do, Princess?"

Leia sighed and looked at Behn-Kihl-Nahm and Gavrisom. "Minister, I think you should stay here. As our top diplomat, I believe you still have a chance at resolving this situation peacefully. In any case, we need to retain some New Republic presence on this world. I'm only afraid that anyone who stays here might be in danger. There's no telling how much this will escalate."

"No position is without risks," Gavrisom shook his head, ruffling his feathery mane. "I have no opposition to remaining here, Princess. None."

"All right," Leia sighed again. "I'm not sure what to do with the rest of the staff. With Tresk, Kenth, Pakkpekatt, and the others."

"Your NRI guy is intimidating," Leia's husband spoke up for the first time. "I'd say bring him back with you. He can also give a full report to the senate and intimidate them."

"You'll still have Pakkpekatt's other two agents on this planet, with diplomatic credentials from my office," Gavrisom reminded her.

"All right," Leia nodded, "Pakkpekatt comes with me. I think Kenth should come too. If we do end up bringing the military into this, I want them to be able to liaise with someone who's seen the situation on the ground."

"What about Tresk?" asked Han.

Leia's brows drew together. "I think I'll let Tresk stay, if he decides to."

"One lone Bothan's going to stand out in Cephalia," Behn-Kihl-Nahm reminded her.

"I now, but he's a Jedi too. He can take care of himself."

"All right then." Behn-Kihl-Nahm placed his hands on his knees. "I believe that only leaves me."

Leia fixes her tired eyes on his. "I won't force you to do anything, Bennie. I know you have a lot of variables to consider."

"I appreciate that, Princess." Behn-Kihl-Nahm laughed dryly and shook his head. "Fey'lya has me both ways, doesn't he? If I don't go to vote in-person, he'll say I'm derelict in my duties of government. If I do go, he'll say I've abandoned my role as Bavinyar's representative."

"Don't care about what that furball says," Han Solo said gruffly. "What do you think can help this mess get less messy?"

He said it like it was so easy. Behn-Kihl-Nahm held Leia's eyes, though, and saw uncertainty to match his own.

Gavrisom cleared his throat with a whistling noise and said, "I believe you should stay here, Minister. Aside from my personal preference to have another senior cabinet member here, I believe that, as a Bavinyari, you stand a better chance at reasoning with Syne or Palt-RiGen than I do."

Behn-Kihl-Nahm liked to believe that was the case, but he couldn't muster it. He'd spent more years of his life away from Bavinyar than on it, mostly attending to matters of galactic political importance while his own homeworld lurched steadily toward this looming disaster. Everything he'd encountered since coming here had made him feel more and more detached from the world on which he'd once lived. In turn it made him feel more and more like a failure- to himself, to the Republic Senate, to Bavinyar- but that was some-thing he could hardly explain to Leia or Gavrisom.

And yet, in the end, the Minister of State was right. He stood the potential to do more good here than on Coruscant. What kind of good, he didn't know, but he'd forever feel like a failure if he didn't try.

And as for Fey'lya, he was welcome to spin it however he liked. Behn-Kihl-Nahm knew his political fortunes were in deadly peril as it was; if anymore bloodshed happened on Bavinyar, the election would be forfeit.

"I will stay here," he said at last.

From the look on Leia's face, it had been the answer she'd expected all along. "I'll do my best on Coruscant, Bennie, I promise."

Behn-Kihl-Nahm sighed. "Princess, I'm no longer certain that Borsk Fey'lya isn't right. The problems we're stuck in now feel like a labyrinth. Perhaps war is the only way out."

"I don't believe that, Bennie. I never will."

Still the old idealism then, after so much time. With a sad, brittle smile, Behn-Kihl-Nahm said, "You should be going soon, Leia. Whatever will come of this crisis, the Republic is going to need you to steer it through. As for me, I shall do my best to keep the peace here, in the place where everything started."

-{}-

After her conversation with Han, Gavrisom, and Behn-Kihl-Nahm, Leia felt a stronger sense of foreboding than ever. She didn't know if it was the Force talking to her or if it was just some innate sense of dread. Either way, she found it very hard to act confident as she left the Republic consulate and took a speeder over to the Prime Minister's tower to have one final talk with Jadesei Syne.

She found Syne where she expected to, in the high office overlooking Cephalia. The sun was starting to set; long afternoon shadows draped soft violent over the cityscape while slanting sunlight turned the white stone building-faces a dazzling shade of gold. As Leia walked in Syne was watching this beautiful sight, but whatever was in her heart, Leia couldn't tell. The woman seemed to be bottling up her emotions in the Force, and when Syne turned around to face her, she saw the same stiffness in the prime minister's face and posture.

"Prime Minister Syne," Leia said without moving closer. "I want you to know that I will be leaving Bavinyar immediately. There is a key vote in the New Republic Senate that I must be present for."

"I know," said Syne from behind her desk. "Senator Behn-Kihl-Nahm sent me a message explaining that you'd be coming."

"I wanted to said goodbye in person. Gavrisom and Behn-Kihl-Nahm will be remaining here, along with their diplomatic staff, but I'm afraid I really am needed on Coruscant."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Syne leaned forward and planted white fists on her desktop. "You have your duty and I have mine."

Leia took a step forward. "I've enjoyed the chance to work with you the past few days. I hope that the current escalation hasn't damaged our relationship."

"The escalation is not your fault either. I know you've done everything you can to achieve a peaceful resolution to this conflict," Syne said, but her voice was still stiff. Leia tried to sense more from her in the Force, but gained nothing.

Folding her hands in front of her, Leia asked, "How do you plan to react to Palt-Ri-Gen's demands?"

"I'm the legitimate ruler of this planet," she said firmly. "I will not be stepping down and I will not bow to terrorism."

"I would never suggest that. Still, I will try and delay any intervention in your planet's affairs for as long as I can. It would help us both if you could tell me what your next plan of action is."

"For the moment? I will use the BDF to surround Leonal and jam transmissions coming from the island."

"What happens if Palt-Ri-Gen starts killing hostages?"

Syne snorted. "He calls them prisoners of war, not hostages."

"We all know that's what they are. So what do you plan to do about them?"

"I will not be the one to take the first life in this. But if Palt-Ri-Gen does begin killing, I will send the BDF in."

Leia swallowed. "You could very well end up taking the blame for whatever deaths happen on Leonal, even if the CPF is the one that kills them."

"I'm aware of that," Syne scowled, and Leia felt a strong spike of anger through the Force. "I am low on options, Princess. I don't see this crisis getting better before it gets worse, and I don't think your military will do anything to solve our problems either."

Leia didn't know what to say. This crisis has kept ramping up bit-by-bit, each time confounding her best efforts to tame it.

Syne's expression softened slightly. "I have one more question, Princess. I do not believe your NRDF can solve my problem. What about the Jedi?"

Leia blinked. "I have two Jedi here, though I was planning to take Kenth Hamner back with me to Coruscant."

"And your Bothan Jedi, is he staying here?"

"He's agreed to."

"I'll keep that in mind." Syne's brows drew together once again in angry concentration. "You may go now, Princess."

The coldness of the dismissal stung. Leia said, "I hope to see you again in better circumstances, Prime Minister Syne."

"And I, you, Princess." Syne nodded. "Goodbye."

That was it; the interview was over. Leia turned and walked out the door. Something- her gut or the Force- told her she'd never go through those doors, never see Jadesei Syne, again.

-{}-

When Leia Organa Solo departed Bavinyar on her husband's ragged old freighter, it was General Kaice who brought the news to the prime minister's office. Syne had been pacing the whole time, watching darkness gradually fall on Cephalia. When Kaice arrived the lights in the towers were going up, drowning out the vivid blues and violets of the twilit sky.

His arm was out of its sling now, and both hands were balled into strong fists at his side as he stood in front of Syne's desk. "Madam Prime Minister, the time has come. Organa Solo is gone. We must act."

She took a deep, deep breath. She'd been dreading this conversation and had tried very hard to keep it from her mind while she and Organa Solo said their formal goodbyes. She didn't think the other woman had been able to sense her thoughts through the Force, but uncertainty gnawed at her, adding another layer of nervousness. She hadn't slept since the news from Leonal came down; right now she doubted if she ever would again.

"My people are standing by," Kaice pressed. "They will do this, if you give the order."

Syne sniffed. "Your captains are loyal, are they?"

"All of them, Madam. That's why they're captains in the first place. Every single ship in the BDF will stand against the Republic, if you tell them too."

"Making them stand against the Republic is a death sentence. I'm not sending our men and women to die to defend Bavinyar."

"You'll do it because it was what your mother did," Kaice said, "And because you'll have no other choice. Did Organa Solo promise you that she could prevent a New Republic intervention?"

Syne shook her head. "She was not so… optimistic."

"You see what I mean, then. This crisis has reached a breaking point. Someone needs to take charge and protect our world from anyone who might take it from us, whether it's Palt-Ri-Gen or the Republic. Please, Madam, be the woman your mother was, the woman I know you can be too."

She shook her head again, as though that could chase away the awful truth in Kaice's words. "You make it sound so damned easy, General. It's not."

"I know." He softened his tone. "But it's what we have to do. This is what history has given us. We have to act."

Syne closed her eyes, breathed in and out, and when she opened them Kaice was still looking at her with dark, pleading eyes.

"Has anything changed at the BSA?"

"Nothing since my last report. Korr-Mad-Narr has been pulling more and more personnel back to headquarters. Everything my informants tell me indicate that he's planning for action against you."

"Your informants," she echoed. "Tell me, General, have your informants said whether Korr-Mad-Narr was preparing for this all along? Have they been planning, just like your captains?"

Kaice's jaw dropped. "Madam President, I resent your implication! Korr-Mad-Narr is the one who's moving against you, not me. We have to move first. My people are standing by. The BDF is always loyal to you, even if the BSA is not."

"If I move against the BSA, General, the Cerean people will see it as a declaration of war against them."

"You don't need to cripple the entire BSA. Just send military police to arrest Korr-Mad-Narr and place someone in his stead. Not a human, another Cerean."

"I suppose you have suggestions?"

Kaice nodded. "His deputy, Bren-Far-Latt, is too much of a loyalist, but there are other possibilities. Sham-Vi-Diin, for example, the one heading the Pohl-Had-Narr investigation."

"A homicide police, in charge of the entire BSA? He'll be totally out of his depth."

"Exactly."

Syne scowled. "What do you know of his politics?"

"There seems to be very little to know. That's what makes him the ideal choice. Everything I've heard about him says he's a very competent, apolitically functionary."

"A functionary who's still failed to find whoever killed my predecessor."

"By putting him in charge of the BSA you can prove that you're serious about justice, no matter what Palt-Ri-Gen says."

The general's logic was a durasteel trap she felt herself closed in by. "And what about Korr-Mad-Narr? What reason do I have for arresting him and his top officers?"

"The truth. They were preparing a coup. You already saw all the evidence I gathered."

"You've offered evidence but no proof." She sighed. "I wish I could speak to him about that."

"That would show our hand. Please, Madam Prime Minister, give the declaration. We will arrest Korr-Mad-Narr and declare martial law."

"And the Republic?"

"If they're brave enough to defy us once they've seen our resolve, let them come," Kaice said darkly. "Bavinyari will be slaves to no one; no Empire, no Republic. No law but our own."

She saw in his eyes the fierce devotion she's so often heard ascribed to the mother she'd never met. She'd felt it too, when she was younger, when she'd first discovered her true parentage. And yet now, all Jadesei Syne felt was doubts upon doubts.

"Please, Madam," Kaice repeated. "You must give the order."

"Very well," she said at last, "Do it. Arrest Korr-Mad-Narr."

"Very good, Madam." Kaice straightened and snapped a salute. "I knew you'd never let us down."

He marched off to relay her orders, leaving her alone in her office as the last colors of twilight fled in the sky, leaving her with the beginning of what was sure to be a very long night. Strangely it felt like a little bit of pressure had lifted from her, even as she knew things were about to get so much worse so very soon.

-{}-

As they crammed together in her hotel room, curtains drawn against the night, Asyr couldn't figure out which of them seemed the most nervous. Detective Ven was clearly concerned about having to come here at all; he hadn't explained the details of his last conversation with his Cerean partner in the BSA, but it sounded as though Bavinyar's police force was on the verge of some undetermined political crisis and he was trying without success to concentrate on the matter at hand in the hopes that catching Pedric Cuf, or Paven Lessex, or whoever they were looking for, would somehow calm a situation that was spiraling out of control.

And then there was this Rev Lessex person. The bare skin of his scalp gleamed with sweat in the light of Asyr's bedside lamp and one leg twitched up and down nervously as Ven slid the datacard he'd hastily copied at the port into her hotel room's holo-projector. He was clearly shaken by the day's events, adding another layer of anxiety over his existing desire to find his brother who had apparently, possibly, had a part in Pohl-Had-Narr's death.

Asyr would have frankly preferred that Lessex not come here at all, which was a big reason for her own anxiety. Just before Ven and this nervous civilian had arrived she'd gotten a comm from Tresk Im'nel, saying that President Organa Solo was going back to Coruscant but that he was staying behind with Gavrisom and Behn-Kihl-Nahm, both of whom were trying to hold the New Republic's mission on this planet together and needed all the help they could get. She's reassured him with as much false confidence as she could muster that she had the situation well in hand and she and Ven were making fast progress.

It might have even been true, but right now Asyr had a hard time believing anything.

"Okay, here we go," Aryon Ven muttered as the holo-projector sprung to life.

He hopped back onto the bed along with Asyr and Lessex. The dark-skinned human leaned forward intently to examine the recording. It was clearly security camera footage, taken from above the entrance doorway to the broad landing pad on which the Corellian Action-model freighter had set down. Ven touched the projector's controls and the camera zoomed in on a few figures standing in front of the massive ship's nose.

"There," Ven said after he'd zoomed in as far as he could go. "Tell me if you recognize any of these people, Mr. Lessex."

The other human squinted. Asyr watched closely too. Given the zoom level and the generally poor quality of security cameras, it was hard to tell anything for sure, but she didn't think any of the four humans standing and talking had skin tone dark enough to be Lessex's brother.

"Do you recognize any of them?" Ven prodded.

"I don't see Javen." Lessex didn't sound relieved. He kept concentrating as the recording played on. Another human appeared, this one pushing a repulsor-cart with several heavy crates on it. The other humans gathered around it and one of them, who seemed to have pale skin and dark hair, entered a keycode into the crate's lock and lifted up the lid halfway. Clearly he was the salesman, maybe Pedric Cuf himself, because the other three original humans all leaned in close to examine whatever was in the crate. From that angle, and with the holo-cam's poor resolution, there was no way to tell what was inside, but the crate certainly looked like it was about the right size and shape to fit a portable surface-to-surface missile launcher in.

"I'm still not sure about the others," Lessex muttered.

"Just wait," Ven said, and pressed a button on the controls.

The recording speeded up, and in fast-motion the crate was closed and locked and payments was exchanged. Then the three buyers took the repulsor-cart and began pushing it away from the freighter. Pedric Cuf, if that was he, turned and walked back to his ship. Ven hit another button and the recording slowed down, first to normal speed, then to one-half-normal.

Lessex and Asyr both leaned closer. The holo-cam was placed over the doorway and as the three men exited they passed close enough that their faces could be seen clearly. Ven froze the recording at the best point.

"Well," he asked, "Recognize any of them?"

"I think I might," Lessex nodded "That man, the one in the middle, pushing the cart. I saw him with my brother. I know it."

"That's good," Ven nodded eagerly. "Do you remember a name?"

"I… don't think so… Like I said, he never introduced these people to me. And wait… The one on the right. I think I recognize him too."

"And you think these are BIL people?" asked Asyr.

"I don't know who else they would be."

"Then the man they talked to must be Pedric Cuf."

"That sounds about right," Ven rubbed his chin. "If we can find these men they might lead us to Pedric Cuf."

"Or my brother," said Lessex.

"All of that is good," said Asyr, "But how do we track this? How do we find these people?"

Both she and Lessex looked to Ven. The young man gave a long, frustrated sigh, and said, "I can try and contact my partner, Detective Sham-Vi-Diin. He has more contacts inside BSA than I do. He's been around forever and knows everybody."

"I thought you said something is wrong at BSA head-quarter," Asyr said.

"I have no idea what's going on, but it sounded… ominous..."

"Then maybe we should try and talk to someone else," Lessex said, though he didn't seem to have any idea as to who.

"No," Ven insisted, "I'm going to try and call Sham-Vi-Diin again. He's our best shot. He might even know some of these people by sight, since he's been doing so much investigation into the BIL these days. Or he could take the recording to some prisoners and they could give us names."

"Are you sure it's safe?" asked Asyr. "Are you sure you can trust him?"

There was a too-long-second of hesitation before Ven nodded. "I can trust him."

"But is it safe?"

He took a deep breath and said, "I guess there's only one way to find out."

-{}-

When his personal comlink started buzzing, Sham-Vi-Diin knew instantly that it was Aryon Ven. He assumed it would be another audio transmission, but instead he found that a data package had been sent to him. There was no explanation attached, so Sham-Vi-Diin plugged his comlink into his personal datapad to copy the files. That done, he stuffed his comlink into his breast pocket and turned on the datapad.

What he saw was simple enough at first glance. Security holo-cam footage, presumably from the main landing complex south of Cephalia, showed three men purchasing a crate-ful of merchandise from another man with a big Corellian Action-model freighter. As the recording got close to its end, the three buyers pushed their carts out through the exit, passing beneath the door, where their faces were visible for a few clear seconds. Sham-Vi-Diin had a feeling this was what Ven had wanted him to see, so he paused the recording and put his face nearly against the screen. He could make out the human faces clearly enough, but none of them were familiar. He wasn't sure if they were supposed to be.

Then, as though the young detective had known exactly how long it would take for him to review the files, his comlink started buzzing again. This time it was an audio transmission.

There was a click, then the human's voice. "Can we speak, sir?"

"I'm still in my office and my scrambler should be working. What did I just see, Detective?"

"That was what I just retrieved from the landing complex. I believe that freighter belonged to Pedric Cuf and I think that crate had the weapon used to kill Pohl-Had-Narr."

"Explain," Sham-Vi-Diin said in a terse whisper.

"It's a long story, sir, but after a short stop at Cephalia that same freighter hopped down to Leonal to let go of a bigger shipment." After a pregnant pause, Ven added, "I don't think I'll be getting their records any time soon."

"No, you won't," Sham-Vi-Diin snorted. "Am I supposed to recognize those three men?"

"I have reason to think they're connected with BIL. I figured you should see it. Even if you don't know those men, some of the new prisoners could. You could ask them, or other people working to investigation BIL."

"I'm not in a position to go anywhere right now, Detective."

"What does that mean, sir?"

That was a very good question and the simple fact was that Sham-Vi-Diin had no idea what anything meant right now. So instead he said, "I was instructed not to leave the headquarters building. I'm not sure what that means. But…. Thank you, Detective. I'll do what I can from here. You keep doing what you can from there."

"Of course, sir."

"And stay safe, Ven. I think you're on to something. This could change everything." He dared himself to hope it. "You've done a fine job, Detective."

After a moment's pause, the young human said, "Thank you very much, sir."

Sham-Vi-Diin was going to add more, but he heard the sound of muffled footsteps, fast and crisp. They were the first outside sound he'd heard in hours since been sent down to his office and they sent his heart racing.

"I have to go now," he whispered into his comlink. "I'll talk later if I can. Goodbye, Detective."

He shut off the comlink and stuffed it into his jacket. He looked at his datapad, too, and pulled out its memory rod and put that in his pocket too, just as the door to his office opened.

He'd been expecting Korr-Mad-Narr, maybe, or one of his deputies. Instead he found himself staring at the brown uniform of the Bavinyar Defense Force.

That surprised him so much he didn't notice the face of the human in front of him, not until the man said, "We need you to come with us, Detective."

Sham-Vi-Diin blinked, stared. "Who are?"

"Major Alvar Brenner, BDF Central Division," the man said. "Come with me."

"To where?"

"General Kaice wants to speak with you immediately."

"Why? What happened to Korr-Mad-Narr?"

"He's just been placed under arrest for planning a coup against Prime Minister Syne. General Kaice believes you will be an appropriate replacement."

"Me? But I'm a..." He stopped. He knew what he was, and what he would be. A warm body, a reassuring face, a puppet for whatever Kaice and Syne were going to do to Bavinyar's government now that pressure from both the BSA and CPF had finally broken the long old pretense at cooperation between human and Cerean.

"Please, detective," said Brenner. "The general is waiting."

Sham-Vi-Diin nodded and rose from his chair. He kept his hands at his side, fighting the urge to reassuringly touch the comlink and data-rod in his jacket. Brenner turned and led the detective out of his office, and Sham-Vi-Diin kept his head low. He didn't want to look against at Brenner's face. He didn't want to be reminded that the man he was following now was the same one he'd just seen buying weapons from Pedric Cuf.