Chapter 6: Fall of the Fountain World
Their contact had been offworld when they arrived on Babyli, but, if Jonas' intel was correct, would be in about midnight local time, and shortly thereafter would stop in for a drink at his favorite tapcafe. Cassian and Mara would be there waiting, and he was expecting them.
Jonas had been helpful enough to worry Cassian.
**RogueLegends**
It was almost like clockwork. The hour struck midnight, Cassian and Mara made their way to the designated bar, and about half an hour later their contact showed.
It was impossible to identify what species he was, but it would have been more impossible still not to identify him. Jonas' description – green, with gray pads on his hands, tiny eyes in three deep folds, face with a permanent frown, and for all this, a shock of unruly orange hair on his crown - while confusing when given, made perfect sense once they actually saw him.
He might have mentioned the voice though, Cassian thought wryly, as the high octave demanded a local ale. Somewhere, Jonas was laughing.
"Jonas sent us," Cassian said as they approached, having been warned not to beat around the bush. The creature surveyed them, expression unreadable, sunken as it was in the folds of his face, and hummed something that might have been an acknowledgment.
The ale appeared, and the creature got up and gestured to a back table. Once they were seated, he launched into his tale in operatic tones, despite the clear attempt to lower his voice.
"Alderaan was never the target," he said, "but its senator likely is. The men you're after are little better than the Partisans. They have no use for political rhetoric. They believe it's the politicians themselves who are poisoning the galaxy, and if we could do away with their constant stalling – the pirate word for diplomacy – we could overthrow the Emperor once and for all."
It was an argument Cassian had heard before, usually from Rebellion infantry, tired of the constant debate of the people at the top and desperate to be on their feet and doing something. It was a sentiment he shared on occasion, but he understood there were enough moving parts to render his particular restlessness inert. He did his job. The rest was just philosophy.
"What exactly are we talking about here?" he asked.
The creature leaned it, managing to lower his voice in an imitation of a whisper. "Assassination."
"Of Bail Organa?" Mara asked with mild interest.
"Of all the senators suspected of being in the Rebellion."
Cassian hoped his sudden stillness would be put down to concern for his employer, but there was little chance to worry about what Mara was thinking.
"Word is, they have access to nanoids," their contact went on. "Tiny droids. So small the eye could never see them. They can be slipped in a drink, in food, into an air tank. You'd never know. They make their way through your bloodstream and position themselves. On command, they stop your heart."
Mara remained skeptical. "That's an awfully sophisticated piece of technology. From what we've heard, the rebels we're dealing with are little more than anarchists. How would they gain access to something like that?"
The creature made a honking noise that might have been a snort. "You really think they're anarchists? They're just a collection of reactive types who believe they're thinking for themselves, but don't have enough of a brain between them to realize someone else is pulling the strings."
"Who?" Cassian demanded.
"Don't know for sure, but if you want my opinion, my money's on the Moffs."
Mara hissed.
"There's more. The plan doesn't end with killing the senators. I have no idea what their next move is, but I'd suggest looking into it before doing anything brave."
"How would we do that?" Mara asked.
The creature did something like incline his head towards Cassian. "Ask him. He's the expert."
Cassian's mind was too focused on the next source of intel to catch Mara's look at first. When he did, he merely replied, "What? You didn't think the only thing I did for Senator Organa was push paperwork, did you?"
She snorted.
**RogueLegends**
She waited until they were back in their lodgings to ask him about the frown on his face. The man could hide a lot of things, but not when he was this deep in thought.
"I'm trying to work out how best to proceed," he told her. "Do I take this information back to Organa? Do I dig deeper?"
"Do we dig deeper," she corrected him, taking his jacket from his hands and setting it aside. "This was my mission before we got all convoluted following your leads. Time we got back on track."
He regarded her gravely. "I suppose the Moffs really are more your territory anyway." He sat down on the bed. "What do you suggest?"
She shook her head. "If the Moffs are involved…I was wondering why I was given this mission in the first place, but I wonder…" She didn't continue aloud, but what she wondered was if the Emperor had had some idea, had sent her to be certain. It was a better way to confirm the guilt of his own governors than an official investigation. Perhaps he knew Cassian's value as a…what? source of intelligence? and that was why he'd allowed the relationship to continue. Well, if they were both going to be spies, they might as well do it together. "These anarchists…I don't suppose they take recruits?"
Cassian smiled at her, standing. "You're thinking we need a more direct source of information?"
She nodded. "It'll save time."
"Not necessarily. We'll need to build trust to be let in on anything important. That could take months." He was packing their bags now. A quick process, as neither had really unpacked.
"So we figure out who does know something, then grab them and ask them."
"Ask them?"
"Convincingly."
"And if the Moffs really are behind this?"
She met his wary eyes without the slightest waver. "I'll deal with them."
