Star Wars: Scourge Read Online Free PDF Page B

off.
    “You didn’t know if I was the one giving him the Tempest,” said Mander flatly. Reen nodded, her mouth a thin line.
    Mander said, “Your brother was on Makem Te at the behest of the Jedi Order. That is true. But his assignment had nothing to do with spice in any form.”
    “He was supposed to meet someone in the restaurant,” said the Pantoran.
    “Probably someone to do with his mission,” said Mander.
    “Or perhaps his source for the drug,” said Reen.
    Mander sighed. “Any evidence that would be at the warehouse is gone now. We can probably track down the Bomu clan, though. There aren’t many Rodians on Makem Te.”
    “The Bomu clan is strictly small-time,” said Reen. “They are scattered across a dozen worlds like this. They hire out to just about anyone. They would be middlebeings at best.”
    Mander suggested, “Still, they’re our best hope for finding out where this drug, this Tempest, is coming from.”
    Reen thought for moment. “It is a pretty large clan, and provides muscle throughout the quadrant. Their scams vary from planet to planet, and sometimes different parts of the clan work for rival crime lords. The one thing that pulls them all together is vengeance. Take out one of them, and you can have the entire clan on your back in no time.”
    “I will remember to add them to the list of the Jedi’s enemies,” said Mander wryly.
    The conversation stopped as the waiter, a lumbering Swokes Swokes, came with their meals. The waiter also set three small iron cups on the table, bubbling with what Mander hoped was an infusion of Ansionian tea, or at least the Makem Te equivalent. Once the waiter left, Mander noticed that the bag containing the Tempest crystals was missing.
    He looked up sharply at Reen, who was staring into her cup as if the future lay there. Then he looked at the Bothan, who returned his glance with a gangly grin and reached into his vest, producing the envelope, which he handed back to Mander.
    Mander put the envelope back into his own robe pocket, “Yes, we shouldn’t leave things like this out to be found. And thank you for your help in rescuing both of us, earlier.”
    The Bothan raised both hands in an expression of
What else could I have done?
Reen looked up and said, “Sorry, I didn’t make introductions. Eddey Be’ray, here, is one of the best mechanics in this part of space. He can hot-wire just about everything, from a speeder to a battle cruiser.”
    “Or a manual loadlifter,” added Mander. “Does he speak?”
    “Only when I have to,” replied the Bothan, in a deep voice with an educated, Core accent. Despite himself, Mander blinked in surprise. It was not the voice he expected to come out of the furry muzzle of a Bothan.
    “Eddey believes that when you don’t say much, people forget about you, and they let things slip,” said Reen. “Once he comes to trust you, he’s positively chatty.”
    Again, the Bothan retreated into mime, raising both hands in a comical shrug and dug into a krayt steak.
    Mander nodded. The intelligence-gathering abilities of the Bothan people were legendary. He turned back to Reen. “What can you tell me about the Tempest drug itself?”
    “Not a lot,” said Reen. “It showed up less than a year ago, and suddenly it’s all over the place. At first it was like any other type of spice—used for medicinal and, um, recreational purposes.”
    Mander nodded for her to continue.
    “Tempest is one of the really bad ones,” said Reen, lowering her voice now and leaning forward. “It’s extremely addictive, and long-term users are clearly marked. Like a lot of spice, it makes the user feel good, but at a price.” She paused a moment, then added, “I need to ask. The Jedi, in your studies, do you use … you know?”
    The question surprised Mander Zuma. He pursed his lips and said, “No.” Another silence stretched out between them, and he added, “Some types of spice provide boosts in telepathy or empathy, but always