Star Wars: Crosscurrent by Paul S. Kemp Page A

thumped Kolas on his massive shoulder, picked up his pulkay from the bar, and spotted Marr down the hall, near the archway to the back room of The Hole. His first mate's elongated head seemed to float over the more vertically challenged crowd. Marr was tall even for a Cerean.
    Before Khedryn could raise a hand in greeting, a human thrust himself into Khedryn's space. The man was taller than Khedryn by a head. His neatly trimmed beard and short brown hair book-ended intense, haunted gray eyes, the kind Khedryn had seen in religious fanatics. Khedryn put him at forty years, maybe, about the time human men looked back on their lives, found them wanting, and turned stupid.
    "You're in my gravity well, friend," Khedryn said, and tried to push past.
    The man would have none of it and blocked his way. He felt as solid as Kolas. Over the man's shoulder, Khedryn saw Marr take note of the confrontation and move his way. Several other patrons took notice, too, and half stood. The man seemed to sense the precariousness of his situation.
    "Captain Faal," the man said. He backed off a step and put his hands in his pockets. "If I could have a moment."
    "Not now."
    The man stared into Khedryn's face. "Please, Captain. I will be brief."
    Khedryn took him in. From his dungarees and boots, Khedryn made him as a salvage man. He wore a blaster, but that was part of the Farpoint uniform.
    "Is this business?" Khedryn asked.
    The man nodded. "Potentially lucrative."
    "That's the only kind I'm interested in. We should talk, but in a bit. I've got a sabacc table waiting for me."
    The man held his gaze and did not give way. "It would be better if we spoke now. Please, sit."
    The words sounded strange to Khedryn's ears. They bounced around in his mind, repeating, repeating. He felt a tickle behind his eyes. His vision blurred for a moment and when it cleared he figured he should at least hear what the man had to say.
    "Of course, friend. Let's get a table—"
    Marr's long fingers fixed on Khedryn's shoulder. "The game is waiting, Captain. Reegas is displeased already."
    Khedryn felt a moment's light-headedness. "Reegas?"
    "Yes." Marr put his body between Khedryn and the human. The Cerean had a hand on his blaster and a question in his eyes.
    Khedryn looked into the dark eyes of his friend, shook his head to clear it. What had he been thinking?
    "Reegas, right."
    He looked around Marr at the man who had accosted him.
    "What is your name, friend? And how do you know me?"
    Disappointment colored the human's face. "I know of you. And you'll be interested in what I have to say, Captain."
    "No doubt. After the game, though."
    "Captain—"
    "He said after," Marr interrupted.
    "What'd you say your name was?" Khedryn asked.
    "Jaden Korr."
    "Korr here says he has a business proposition, Marr."
    Korr did not even look at the Cerean.
    "We are always looking for business," Marr said.
    "I'll find you after the game. You're welcome to watch, if you like," Khedryn said, and indicated the vidscreens. "Better'n watching a grav-ball game that was played four standard months ago."
    "I suppose it is," Jaden said, studying Khedryn and Marr. "I may take you up on that, Captain."
     
     
    Sitting in the corner of The Hole near the Bothan musicians, Kell watched the bearded human confront Khedryn Faal and he knew almost immediately that he had found his Jedi. He imagined the sharp tang of the Jedi's soup, licked his lips, and stood.
    For two standard weeks he had prowled unnoticed among Farpoint's streets, cantinas, and gambling dens. He had fed off the stored sentients in Predator 's hold while gathering information about Farpoint, its people, the comings and goings of ships, always with an eye toward spotting a Jedi.
    He had found nothing. Until now.
    The Jedi had been posing as a scrap dealer from the Core. He must have been shielding his Force signature. But Kell had felt the flash of power when the Jedi had used the so-called mind trick on Khedryn Faal. Therefore—Kell