Planet Lavisar: Dormock Genetic Center

Commander Deke Tavik piloted his shuttle into low orbit over the planet Lavisar. He turned to his travel companion who was napping in the copilot seat and smacked him on the shoulder, rousing the large man. "We're here."

Mark rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Good. Go to the Dormock South landing bay. That's where Jacen had landed. I don't have a perfect memory of where and what he did, so it would be easier if we came from the same direction he traveled."

"Okay," Deke said but didn't look away. He had a hard time taking his eyes off his friend due to his strange appearance. "It is weird seeing you like that."

Mark reached a hand up to the disguise he was wearing. He dyed his normally bright red hair blond and added synthskin to lower his brow so he looked more brutish. "If you end up killing an Imperial," Mark said in a low, reluctant voice. "I don't want to be seen walking in there. Changing my facial features was cheaper than a holographic image disguiser."

"I'm going with sunglasses and cap." Deke looked at him questioningly. "Can't you people cut out the security holocams?"

Mark gave him a slightly deprecating smile. "If by 'you people' you mean Jedi, yes we I can flash-blind the security imagers as we pass, but that is not always effective. And it won't affect eyewitnesses unless I do a Force cloak."

"Then why don't you do both?" Deke asked.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Because I am no Luke Skywalker. The Grand Master would be able to pull that off, but not me. I am not even close to having his skills."

Deke made a placating gesture. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much. There's a chance we may not have to kill anyone or blow up the medical facility…maybe." He brought his hand up and held his finger and thumb about three centimeters apart. "There's a small chance at least."

Mark let out a frustrated breath. "Deke, it's a real medical research laboratory and clinic. We can't go all 'Tarkin' on it," Mark said using a slang phrase meant to convey over-the-top and unnecessary destruction. "Besides, Jacen was convinced that the doctor didn't recognize him. We don't need to kill him if he didn't know it was Jacen."

Deke shook his head. "Mark there is so much wrong with your logic that I'm not even going to try to convince you otherwise. We'll evaluate the situation, adapt and improvise as we go along. If you don't want to get your hands dirty, then let me handle it."

Mark gave him a severe look, but didn't respond.

Tavik brought his ship in for a landing utilizing a false transponder identifying him as an Imperial private courier. It was easy enough to acquire false documents and transponders when you work for a Queen and Deke made good use of the assets available to him. Once he finished his post-flight checks he unstrapped himself from his crash webbing and stood. "Let's go."

Both men moved to the rear of the shuttle where they pulled on civilian overcoats bulky enough to hide their weapons. Deke put on dark sunglasses and a cap traditionally worn in by humans in the sector. Despite his nonchalant manner, he absolutely wanted to avoid detection. The Imperials didn't need to know a Jedi and a retired GA Void Jumper-turned-Hapan-security-commander were walking around their territory causing havoc.

Mark was wearing a dark business suit under a heavy overcoat that hung past his knees. Underneath the garment he stashed his blaster and lightsaber. On his head he wore a wide brim hat. He turned to Deke and held his arms out to his side. "How do I look?"

The Royal security officer looked him over and laughed. "You look like a giant, partially shaved Wookiee, that's planning on opening his trench coat and exposing himself to sorority coeds."

Mark nodded thoughtfully. "Good, that was the look I was going for," he said in a deadpan voice.

Deke guffawed while he made some adjustments in his attire. "Can you see the bulge of the explosives or weapons?"

Mark shook his head. "No, it just looks like you are on the pudgy side."

"Good." Deke pulled the brim of his hat down until it was hanging over his glasses. He turned to Mark and smiled. "When we get out of the ship start doing your Jedi Force-Flashing magic and lead the way."

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The Dormock Genetic Center was an impressively large duracrete and transparisteel building that had a steady stream of people moving in and out. It not only did medical research but a medical clinic was located on upper floors of the facility. Patients, visitors and employees moved around the main lobby as they traveled to their destinations.

As they walked up the front stairs Mark blanked out the security cameras covering the front entrance and then in the reception area.

A human female was sitting at a desk in front of the corridor Mark wished to travel. Above the hallway entrance was a sign that said Restricted Area. The receptionist looked up at the two men and smiled. "Can I help you?"

"We're here to see Doctor Draco," Mark said.

"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked as she gave a rehearsed smile.

"I don't need an appointment," Mark said with the power of the Force behind his words. "We can go on it."

The woman looked at him blankly before she found her voice. "Umm…yes go on in."

"Thank you," Mark said with a grin. "And forget we were here."

She gave him a confused nod as her attention drifted off.

"Follow me," Mark said to Deke as he quickly walked down the hall.

Deke looked over his shoulder to the receptionist. "Can you teach me that trick? That would get me out of a lot of chores at home." Deke lowered his voice to sound like Mark's "I don't have to take out the trash."

Mark chuckled. "Only Jedi can do it and it only works on the weak minded…so it won't work on your wife. The only weak-minded thing she's ever done was marrying your sorry butt."

"Maybe, but it's a cute butt."

"I'll have to take your word on that one." Mark stopped outside a laboratory and his tone turned serious. "Promise me we won't kill him unless we have to."

Deke's shoulders slumped in frustration. "Fine. We'll find out what he knows about the plague, destroy evidence and threaten to come back and kill him if he talks…that is if he didn't recognize Jacen."

"Okay." Mark took a deep breath and then entered the empty laboratory and then barged into the doctor's side office. Behind a desk sat an old man reading a datapad. The elderly doctor's head jerked up in surprise. "Who are you?"

Mark waved a hand and the transparisteel walls of the office went dark giving them some privacy for their talk. "It doesn't matter who we are." Mark walked closer to the doctor. "I have some questions and you are going to answer them."

A look of panic crossed the doctor's face before he quickly reached under his desk and pulled out a nasty looking blaster. Before he had time to think about it, Mark called his lightsaber to his hand, activating it before it even hit his palm. He swung the saber in a controlled arc, cleaving the barrel off the weapon with one stroke. He then brought the blade up to the man's neck. "Make this easy on yourself. Answer my questions and you will walk out of this building alive."

"A Jedi," the doctor gasped in disbelief. He lifted his chin trying to get it as far away from the glowing blade as possible. "What do you want?"

Mark turned off his saber but kept it in hand in case he needed to use it again. "I want to know about the Hapan plague nanovirus you made for a client a few weeks ago."

The doctor gave him a genuine look of confusion. "What? The Hapan plaque?" Suddenly the blood drained from the doctor's face as he realized what they meant. "Oh gods," he moaned as he sat down heavily in his seat. He looked up to Mark and Deke his eyes like a wild animal. "Kriff! The target was a Hapan royal?" He started to quiver in fear. "Shavit! I was never told it was a royal. That makes a huge difference."

"How so? What was the job?" Deke asked the man.

The doctor ran a trembling hand over his face. "I was hired to make a nanovirus. The man wanted a vaccine for two people. But later he asked me to make a virus to kill a certain person. I was given a DNA sample of two closely related relatives of the intended victim. The virus should only have affected a very close relative of the people the DNA samples came from…it was supposedly for a paternal grandmother." His voice took on a tinge of panic. "I wasn't told the target would be a Hapan royal. I would never have made the virus if I did."

"Why not?" Deke asked.

"Because the Hapan royal families have been inbreeding for thousands of years. The nanovirus was designed to target a specific genetic variation in single-nucleotide polymorphisms within cellular DNA. With normal populations it would be extremely rare to find these polymorphisms outside the immediate family…but there could be hundreds of royals with those specific markers," the doctor muttered sounding like he was on the verge of hysteria. When he made a sudden move Mark once again ignited his lightsaber, but the man simply doubled over and vomited on the floor. He wiped his mouth as he straightened back up in his seat. "Gods, I'm going to have Hapan assassins after me."

Deke took out his blaster and glared at Mark. "Turn off the saber. It's noisy. I'll just blast him if he doesn't cooperate."

"And a blaster doesn't make noise?"

"I have a vibroblade if it comes down to that," he turned to the doctor. "But it's not going to come down to that, right Doctor?"

The man was shaking and perspiration dripped down his forehead and stained the shirt around his arm pits. "What do you want?"

"Is there a cure?"

The man shook his head. "There is a vaccine, but once infected the disease has to run its course. The nanovirus spores degrade rapidly. By now if a person isn't infected, they should be okay. I didn't want a virus that lingered for months or years."

Deke turned to Mark. "So this is now a clean-up operation."

Mark walked around the desk avoiding the upchuck on the floor. "I figure your illegal nanovirus information isn't stored in the databanks of a legitimate clinic. Where are your private computer logs, office holocam recordings and information involving this plague? They need to be destroyed."

The man let out a relieved breath. "Gods, that's what you want? You can have it. I don't want this plague pinned on me. I'll give you everything." The doctor got up and went to a safe, punched in a code and opened it. As he moved to reach in Deke's blaster came up to his head.

"No funny business Doctor," he warned the man.

"I'm seventy-eight years old; I no longer have enough energy for funny business." He pulled out a large computer datapad and two external hard drives. "Here, this is everything."

Deke took the devices and looked up to Mark. "Watch him." He walked to the corner of the room and picked up the doctors metal trashcan, turning it over and shaking out the contents. He placed the datapad and hard drives into the can. He removed three incendiary devices from under his coat and placed them on top of the datapad. He then pulled a wireless detonator triggering-device from his side pocket and readied to activate it.

"Are you going to blow it here?" The doctor asked nervously.

"Relax it doesn't explode. It emits an electromagnetic pulse, followed by a combination of heat and chemicals that will burn through the drives and datapad, rendering them completely unsalvageable." He pushed a button and the contents of the wastebasket made a puffing sound and then glowed brightly.

"So now what," The doctor said nervously looking back and forth between the two men. "You said I'd live if I cooperated? You're Jedi…Jedi don't assassinate people? Am I under arrest? Wait…," the doctor gave a puzzled look and Mark knew the doctor just realized Jedi didn't have any authority within the Empire. "Why are the Jedi involved in destroying evidence?" The doctor asked questioningly. His eyebrows shot up with a look of horror. "Jacen Solo! I thought I recognized him when he came to see me." The doctor slapped his hands over his mouth, alarmed that he said anything.

Deke sighed deeply and turned to Mark. "You just had to whip out your lightsaber and jog his memory, didn't you?"

Mark gave him a sheepish look. "Sorry, it's an automatic reaction."

Deke grimaced in frustration. "I can't believe you've survived as long as you have. Sometimes you're as dumb as a box of rocks." Deke pulled out his vibroblade from his coat pocket and gave the geneticist an apologetic look. "It's too bad your memory improved at the wrong time, doctor."

"No." Mark put up his hand stopping Deke. "This is my fault. I'll take care of it." Mark pulled out his blaster. "Guard the door."

Deke frowned but turned and left the office.

The doctor backed away from Mark. "Please! I'm not going to tell anybody anything." He went to scream but Mark clamped a large hand over the man's mouth as he pushed him against the back wall.

"I know you are not going to tell anybody." Mark stepped closer to the man, blaster in hand. "I'm going to make sure of that."