FORSAKEN II - Eternal Dawn

CHAPTER FORTY

"Did you get the dataplaque?" said Syrran, sitting next to Addia.

She beamed and fished out from her satchel. "Check it out."

Syrran examined the object. "And I thought my people were backwards for not having nav computers. How do you use this thing?"

"My guess is you plug it into a computer like a giant datacard. The real question is, where does it lead?"

The question made Syrran curious and compelled him to try psychometry on it. The sudden influx of images jolted him. Syrran saw a maelstrom of gases besieged by lightning and floating asteroids inside a nebula. A cluster of stirring black holes visible by the blazing colors of the mélange of gasses, radiation, and plasma they trapped in their power gravitational fields. Through the mayhem, Syrran discerned a rotating space station of peculiar design, which suggested antique technology. It had a round center ringed by viewports with two cylindrical spires projecting from its poles. The presence of the Bogan was so overpowering, it made Syrran sever the psychic connection with a startle.

"What happened?" Addia grabbed his shoulder. "Did you see anything?"

"I—" The events that were unfolding around them interrupted his train of thought.

"Now, that's what I call a job well done." Hondo sat on top of the chest, patting it. The airbus raced across the busy skylane.

"You double-crossing swindler." Quinlan stepped up to Hondo. "Tell me why I shouldn't throw you out of this airbus?"

"You did none of those things." Jarriss sat in the seat next to him, tending to his shoulder with his medkit.

"It's more than what he did for me. He left me in prison doing hard labor."

"That was your fault." Quinlan poked at finger at him. "You sold me out to the Zann Consortium in Ryloth, to keep all the credits from the kyber crystal deal with Black Sun."

"And you lied to me; you didn't tell me you were a Jedi. That hurt my feelings."

"Why? So you could sell me to the Empire?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about. The Empire doesn't pay rewards for Jedi—others might. Besides, what are you complaining about? You joined the Zann Consortium like you wanted to, you got your freedom, your friends, wealth—If you want to thank me, just give me twenty percent of the cut and we'll call it even."

"Get ready to fly." Quinlan step closer.

"Try to hit one of our pursuers while you're at it." Virra looked back through the bubble canopy at the rear of the airbus. Six airspeeders loaded with several gunmen were approaching fast. "We have company."

Blaster bolts began to hit the airbus.

"Hold on to what you can." Elynn shifted to a higher gear and bumped other vehicles away as she weaved through traffic to elude their pursuers.

Virra broke the bubble canopy so she and Addia could return fire. The Kanjis fired out the vehicle's side windows and Gorin joined them from the side door.

Syrran opened the ceiling hatch on the back of the airbus. "Want to have some fun?" he said to Theleema, drawing his lightsabers.

"Always," Theleema said.

They jumped on the roof where Syrran deflect shots with his shotos, while Theleema fired her blasters at their enemies.

Two of the airspeeders flanked the airbus, killing a couple of the Kanjis in the process. Jarriss and Hondo took their places. The traffic and the erratic flying made it hard to aim.