FORSAKEN - Target: Zero

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

At Paika's SpeederWorks, Paika, Grunts, Gorin, and the DUM droid souped-up the ComfortRide Passenger Airspeeder Kogo-Leeto acquired from his chauffeur friend, with the help of Jarriss' credits. The Rodian had gone out to find a delivery truck, and to prepare to play his part as a parcel courier.

Elynn worked on her datapad on a nearby workbench, preparing computer spikes, bypass keys, code cylinders, datacards, and number of computer malware. Music pumped from the headphones of her advanced agent interface. One of the Imperial technician's uniforms used during her rescue form the Talon Strike lay folded on the table with its helmet resting on top.

With the help of Ilum, Elynn had taken her things aboard the Outcast the night before. Chak-Chak took surprisingly well to her new home, sniffing around as she explored her surroundings leaving her scent. She then curled into a ball on one of the bunks in Elynn's quarters after kneading the bed's padding.

Elynn couldn't shake off the shock of learning Darth Vader's true identity. Addia, Ilum, and Jarriss knew of the Jedi Knight from his vaunted reputation during the Clone Wars, or from the prophecy attached to him—in the case of Addia. But Elynn had grown up admiring the daring warrior, much like the rest of the younglings in the Jedi Order. Learning of his disgraceful fall, and the appalling things he had perpetuated, shook her to her core.

Elynn looked over at Syrran, sitting across the table from her, busy with the lightsaber rifle. She had convinced the Rodian to hand over the stolen weapon to her friends, and in exchange, Jarriss paid him a handsome reward for his trouble. The price tag was nowhere near the value of the rare item, but it was enough to make Kogo-Leeto ecstatic.

Syrran had modified the weapon to be disassembled in parts for easy concealment. He fitted the sound suppressor, fashioned from a few scrap parts he found lying around the garage. Ever since he returned from his secret meeting, her Master had turned laconic and hyper-focused, as if his thoughts were immersed in what was to come.

Theleema, Addia, and Jarriss had gone shopping for clothes for the ceremony. Syrran had procured a uniform from the Pantoran guard, the security body tasked with the protection of important political figures from the Pantoran Assembly.

Ilum worked on creating a fake bottom on an equipment cart, where those attending the ceremony could hide their weapons and clothes. The crate with the kyber crystal rested a few meters away.

The main door of the garage lifted up and a delivery speeder truck backed up. "Ready to make the delivery." Kogo-Leeto jumped down the cabin. "I even filled the back of the truck with weighted crates to sell the illusion." He opened the cargo hold to show them. "All you need to do is slice me into their schedule and we're clear to jump."

"You know, slicing is hard. I just make it look easy." Elynn glanced up from her datapad.

"Well, excuse me, Miss HoloNet. Where's everyone one else?"

"Shopping for the party. Can't show up looking like a bunch of scruffy-looking nerf herders and expect to blend in. Leema wasn't too thrilled about it."

"Oh, I bet she'll look supernova."

"Keep yapping like that and she's going to make you have nightmares for an entire month."

Having reassembled the lightsaber rifle, Syrran moved to another part of the garage to test it.

"What's with your—?" Kogo-Leeto waved his fingers in the air.

"He's not a wizard, Leeto—Theleema is."

"You know what I mean."

"I don't know. I've never seen him like this."