"Have you already informed Master Hamner about this, Jacen?" Leia's holographic representation asked concernedly.

Jacen nodded. From the Solo Quest II's pilot seat, which was currently floating in the middle of an empty star system between hyperspace jumps, he replied with, "He wasn't very happy, of course, but he assigned me to look for Judi- Jaina. After this call's over, I'll start looking for her. I just thought I should let you and Dad know."

Han's worried visage appeared next to Leia's. "Did you check your twin bond with her, Jacen?" he asked.

"Yes, Dad, I already said I did," Jacen replied patiently. "But she's made herself small through the Force."

"So how are you gonna start lookin'?" Han asked testily.

"Well, I know that Herush Klass is a former GA military man," Jacen said. "If I can get Chief Omas or Admiral Bwua'tu to tell me where his homeworld is, it might give me a start."

"You can just talk to Omas or Bwua'tu like that?" Han asked skeptically.

"I was able to get Omas' help when I first started looking for Jaina after... Aunt Mara sensed her," Jacen explained. Just mentioning his late aunt's name opened up the old wound of her death by Jaina's hand. But then his tone resumed its more objective stance when he continued with, "And I worked with Bwua'tu at Mon Calamari. I even saved his life once; I doubt he'd have a problem talking to me, Dad."

"If you say so," Han said.

"But, wait, Jacen," Leia said. "If Klass is smart, why would he return to his homeworld? Surely, he'd know you'd be looking for him and might try something else."

"That may be, Mom," Jacen acknowledged evenly. "But it's better than just looking in any given smuggler's hole or some other backwater world in the galaxy without anything solid to go on."

"Fair enough," Leia replied. "You let us know how your search pans out, Jacen."

Jacen raised a suspicious eyebrow. "You guys are also gonna look for Jaina, aren't ya?"

"What do you think, kid?" Han retorted.

"You guys have any idea were you'll start?" Jacen asked.

"Your father and I will see what Shada D'ukal can tell us and go from there," Leia replied.

"Well, here's hoping one of us will find her," Jacen said with a resigned tone. "May the Force be with you, Mom and Dad."

"As with you, Jacen," Leia said before she cut off her end of the call.

That left Jacen to put in a comm call to Admiral Nek Bwua'tu's office. After waiting a few minutes following the receptionist asking him to hold, the Bothan's visage appeared before Jacen's console.

"Jedi Solo, how may I be of service to you today?" Bwua'tu asked congenially.

"Admiral Bwua'tu, thank you for taking time out of your day to help me out," Jacen replied diplomatically. "I'm afraid that I must inform you that my prisoner and sister, Jaina Solo, a.k.a. Darth Judicar, has escaped my custody. And I'm letting you know because a former member of your Navy, one Herush Klass, helped her escape. I was wondering if you could help me out with that; could you go through his records or get someone to look through his records to find out where his homeworld is?"

"Herush Klass, you say?" Bwua'tu asked.

Jacen nodded.

"Why, there's no need for any sifting through records, Jedi Solo," Bwua'tu said. "I remember Klass. I even met him once or twice during the last war; good man. Ace starfighter pilot. I recall that his homeworld was none other than Denon itself."

"Denon?" Jacen asked as his hopes dropped. "Well, that rules that out. Unlikely he'd bring my sister back to the capital of the GA."

"Indeed," Bwua'tu agreed. "However, even I was privy to rumors that he has an outlaw family on either Wayland or Adumar. You could start at either of those worlds."

"Outlaw family?" Jacen asked. "His whole family is known to be outlaws?"

"That's what I've heard," Bwua'tu replied. "Apparently, they're all spice smugglers, but he had been left behind by them when he was a teenager after a run on Corulag; this was some time well before the Yuuzhan Vong War, I believe. After serving a couple years in juvenile detention, he enlisted in the GA where he served right until the end of the Chiss War."

Jacen's eyebrows quirked up. "Wow. This guy must've been really good if you know all that about him."

Bwua'tu nodded. "That he was, Jedi Solo. That he was. Too bad about his dishonorable discharge. Apparently, the commander he served must've been horribly incompetent over Commenor against the Chiss for Klass to have decked him."

"I see," Jacen said. "Well, thank you for your help, Admiral. I'll let you how my search for Jaina goes, and if I can get Klass to face justice for aiding and abetting in my sister's escape."

"Good hunting then, Jedi Solo," Bwua'tu said with a nod.

Jacen returned the nod, then cut the connection. From there, he input a course for Adumar and set off into hyperspace.

. . .

"Enter," Grand Lord Vol proclaimed.

The door to his office opened and in stepped Captain Holpur. The younger man stopped a meter away from Vol's desk and remained silent before his superior said, "Report."

"The first team that was dispatched to Drescus has failed their mission, My Lord," Holpur stated. "Both Sith Sabers were killed, and the vermin with them, Klass, did not report in."

"This has been learned by the backup team that was sent in after the first one didn't report in?" Vol asked.

"Yes, My Lord."

"Hmm. So Klass is missing in action, then?"

"It is to be assumed so, My Lord. However, from what the backup team discovered by going through the police department of the city where Klass and the two dead Sith Sabers were last seen, the vermin had run off with a woman matching Darth Judicar's description. And this discovery was made not long after Jacen Solo apparently escaped from the police's custody."

"Klass ran off with Judicar?"

"It would seem so, My Lord."

"And it did not seem as if either of them were holding each other prisoner?"

"The police reports that were searched through by the backup team did not say that that was the case, My Lord."

"I see. Thank you, Captain Holpur. You are dismissed."

The younger man bowed his head before he turned and left the office.

Alone again, Vol placed a holocomm call to Plekos. After waiting a few minutes, a holographic representation of the Zabrak's visage appeared over the Grand Lord's desk.

"Yes, Lord Vol?" Plekos asked obediently.

"Do you still have that Zeltron, Elbas, with you?"

"Yes, My Lord. I can bring him into this conversation, if you wish."

"Do so. I will wait."

Plekos nodded before he stepped out of view of the holographic field. Less than a minute later, he returned with the stoic visage of Eelos Elbas.

"I could use your talents, the both of you," Vol said. "You are to search for Darth Judicar and the vermin known as Herush Klass and bring their heads directly to me. You will be aided by a group of Sith Sabers who I will contact after I'm done speaking to you. Is that clear?"

"We live to obey, Lord Vol," Plekos said. He looked to the Zeltron beside him. "Isn't that right, Eelos?"

"Yes, it is," Elbas said, his tone matching his expression.

"In fact, Lord Vol," Plekos piped back in, "I happened to work for Klass' family. They're based mostly on Adumar, so I can-"

"I already know that," Vol interrupted sharply. "That is why I contacted you, Plekos."

"Oh, yes, of course," Plekos said. "Apologies, My Lord. I did not mean to-"

"Just do what you will." Vol cut the transmission off from his end before he could give the sniveling Zabrak more time to suck up to him. Then he set about contacting the Sabers who might actually do more work in claiming Judicar and Klass' heads for him.

. . .

When the exhausted and irritated Head of State Gejjen entered his Centerpoint office at around noon, he found that his holocomm transceiver was beeping for his attention. His eyebrow lifted in consternation; his secretary didn't tell him that he was expecting a call before he entered. Why didn't she tell him that? He would have a talk with her after he was done seeing who was calling him.

Of course, he knew that he probably should have walked back out and just asked his secretary right away why he was getting a call that she didn't tell him about. Still, though, after dealing with the Killiks today in one of their tedious explorations of the station, he just wanted to do things by himself for once.

After settling himself in his seat, he activated the transceiver and saw the holographic representation of a moustached, middle-aged human man looking back at him neutrally.

"Head of State Gejjen?" the moustached man asked.

"Yes?" Gejjen replied warily. "Who is this?"

"A concerned citizen," the other man responded. "Not of Corellia, I should clarify. But as a human of the galaxy who would rather not have a bunch of aliens, especially some insects, roaming around doing whatever they wanted."

"Oh, I see," Gejjen said. "I take it you have a problem with the Killik Colony in my system, sir?"

"And you don't, Head of State Gejjen?"

He scowled. "Oh, I do. I very much do."

"So would you like to do something about it?"

Gejjen scoffed. "As if I could. That bitch Saxan shoots me down every chance she gets whenever I try to do the right thing just by pointing out how ridiculous it is to play nice with these kriffin' bugs and their ugly-ass 'King.'"

"Ah. So the Killiks aren't your only problem, Mr. Head of State. The Prime Minister won't see reason, eh?"

Now Gejjen looked at the man skeptically. "Who are you, exactly?"

"Someone who can make your problems go away, Mr. Gejjen. Someone who can see to it that you can become the Prime Minister of your home system instead of that bitch."

"That's treason, and I'm not sure if I wanna go along with that," Gejjen replied warily.

The moustached man's face quirked into a soft smile. "Don't worry, Head of State Gejjen. This isn't a sting operation, if that's what you're concerned about. We're not luring you out on Saxan or anyone else's behalf."

"And I'm just supposed to believe you? A total stranger?"

"Fair point. But tell me this: how does fifty thousand credits straight into your personal bank account sound like?"

"What are you talking about?"

"If you would please check your account, Mr. Gejjen, you'll find that you just got a slight pay increase."

"If you'll excuse me," Gejjen said.

"Of course," the unknown man replied with a courteous nod before Gejjen stepped out of the holographic field.

Stepping to one corner of his office, the Corellian Head of State brought out his personal datapad, activated it, and logged into his bank account. His eyes widened in pleasant surprise before he logged out and returned to his seat.

"What's in it for you, my mysterious benefactor?" Gejjen asked.

"The fulfillment of a contract, if I'm being completely honest, Mr. Gejjen."

"And the stipulation of that contract?"

"Not up for disclosure, I'm afraid. But I can let you know that you stand to benefit a great deal more than the fifty thousand creds I had deposited into your account."

"A tempting offer."

"But will you take it?"

Gejjen allowed a substantial pause to pass between him and the mysterious caller before he asked, "What is it that you want me to do?"

. . .

"What you've told me is very... troubling, Kenth," Luke said from the Jade Shadow's pilot seat.

"I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, Luke," Hamner's holographic representation responded. "But Jacen is on top of it. He'll find Jaina before she causes anymore harm, I'm sure of it."

Luke sighed. "I hope you're right, Kenth. I hope you're right. Because after everything Jaina did..." He trailed off as he attempted to master his emotions.

"Take it easy, Luke," Hamner said with a calming tone, prompting Luke to inhale sharply. "Just take it easy."

"Thank you, Kenth," Luke said after a deep exhale. "Thank you. Sometimes, even a Jedi Master like me needs another Master to remind me to hone my emotions."

"I understand, Luke. We all try to do our best."

Luke nodded. "How are things with Ben, Kenth?"

Hamner's expression fell so that it was once again the same look he had when he told Luke that Judicar had escaped Jacen's custody.

"I'm afraid, Luke, I've received some troubling news from Tionne about Ben," Hamner said.

"What's wrong with him?" Luke asked worriedly. "Is he hurt? Is he-"

"Physically, he's fine, Luke," Hamner interrupted. "It's just that, well..."

"What, Kenth? What's happened to Ben?"

"Just yesterday, he had a rather troubling interaction with a new apprentice, one about his age, when he entered her quarters. The apprentice, in question, was a former member of the Lost Tribe of the Sith."

Luke's worried expression dropped from one of immediate panic to that of a more levelled state of concern. "Oh? What happened then?"

"Ben had learned that the apprentice—Vestara Khai is her name, by the way—was a Sith instead of a Jensaari Defender, as Tionne tried to convince her students."

Luke sat back in his seat in thought. "I see," he said evenly. "And how did Ben take this realization?"

Hamner's lips pursed as he hesitated in his reply. "Much better than I think he should have, Luke."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It seems that young Ben felt... comfortable with the darkness that he discovered within Vestara, according to Tionne."

"Comfortable?"

Hamner nodded. "That is what Tionne told me."

"This is troubling," Luke said; his objective tone belied the deeper concern that he felt then and there for his son.

"I can assure you, Luke, that Tionne has made sure that Ben will stay in his room except when he has to attend classes," Hamner reported. "He will not be in contact with Vestara Khai again; Tionne is already beginning to shift around their classes so that they won't see each other. And Jedi Knights have been assigned shifts outside the Skywalker dorm to make sure that he won't-"

"I need to come back to Shedu Maad," Luke interrupted.

"Oh," Hamner said. "Well, Luke, while I understand your concern for your son, what about the obligation that you've-"

"I'm not getting anywhere with the Killiks, Kenth," Luke admitted. "They have everything in control here. They don't really need me. All I have to do is convince UnuThul that I'm not needed here, even after everything he told me about Abeloth, and get him to understand that he'll need another Jedi Master to act as mediator between the Killiks and Corellians."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Luke," Hamner said warily.

"I'm sure of it, Kenth," Luke replied confidently. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you, my friend."

Luke signed off from that connection before he input another one for UnuThul's flagship.

When the holographic representation of the Joiner King's scarred visage appeared, the Grand Master said, "UnuThul, may I speak to you again aboard your ship?"

"You may, Master Skywalker. But can you tell us what it is about first?"

"It concerns my being here in this system."

"Very well. You may come."

UnuThul shut off the connection for Luke.