The Mandalorian Chronicles

Korkie Kryze: A Lead Finally Presents Itself

Even with Lucy Kee, they were still getting nowhere. 

Less  than nowhere.

They hadn't figured anything out from the profile picture, which proved to be nothing more than an edit. The poems didn't help at all. For some reason, Korkie didn't want everyone else to read the poetry, but he let them anyway. Now they all sat around the café table, exhausted and frustrated.

"I vote we tell an adult," Amis said, not even having the energy to eat. "That way we don't have to be the ones staying up late."

"We'd stay up anyway," Soniee pointed out.

"I sleep all day anyway," Lucy said, stirring her iced water. She hated it that ice water was the only thing the nurses would let her drink outside of the hospital. She desperately wanted some real food.

"I wish we could sleep in class," Amis griped.

"It doesn't work that way," Lagos reminded him, sipping her tea.

"What's the plan now? We've got zero leads whatsoever," Soniee said, closing her computer. Korkie put a hand on his chin, thinking.

"Hmmm. Maybe she's still on Coruscant," Lucy said with a shrug.

"Coruscant is huge. Where would we even start and how would we get there?" Lagos told them, pointing out the flaws in Lucy's plan. Lucy sighed.

"It was worth a shot," Lucy sighed. "Damn it, Elodie. Why do you have to hide so well?"

"Agreed." " Soniee raised her hand in support and then laid her head in her arms, dozing. Korkie took Soniee's computer. He went to the poetry site. There's got to be a lead on here. There has to, Korkie thought. Lagos looked over at him and gasped. 

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Korkie asked, looking up. 

"That's brilliant! There has to be a way for the site to contact the user!" Lagos exclaimed. Amis, Lucy, and Soniee looked up at Lagos and Korkie. 

"I think you're onto something," Lucy marveled. 

"Correct, but how are we going to get into the site to see the profile?" Soniee wondered. Korkie looked at her, eyebrows raised. He typed in the login they'd made up. The homepage of Royal Nebula  popped up.

"Wow, I'm really out of it." Soniee remarked as they crowded around the computer. Korkie clicked on the profile for Elodie Starchild  and scrolled down.

"Holy hyperspace, she can write," Lucy commented, catching snippets of the poem Elodie had written as her bio.

"It's not on here," Korkie fretted when they got to the bottom of the page. 

"It has to be on the site. In a private database?" Lagos suggested, unsure of what to do. The five of them shared a look. 

"I'll hack into it tonight," Soniee said, ready to (finally) find a lead. Korkie closed the computer and handed it back to Soniee.

"I have to meet with my aunt soon," he said, wondering if Auntie would see right through him or if she would still be distant and vague like the last time.

"We're still hiding it from her, right?" Lagos asked. She didn't like the idea of hiding their investigation from the Duchess. 

"Yes. If she figures out what we're doing, our whole operation is going to be destroyed" Korkie said, remembering the last time they went to her for help. She definitely didn't have it under control last time. She would've been dead or still in jail if Korkie and his friends had listened to her. Whatever happens, I'm not going to my aunt. She'll just ruin it, Korkie thought. He waved to his friends and walked the last few blocks to the apartment.

"Auntie, I'm here!" Korkie called. 

"Ah, Korkie. There you are," Satine Kryze said. She was in her usual spot, staring at the fish. Korkie put his backpack down and sat next to her, discreetly drumming his fingers on the sidebar of his leg.

"How is school?"

The usual attempts at small talk. "Good."

"Any big tests coming up?"

"Yes. In Mando'a and Politics."

"Have you been studying?"

"Yes." That was a blatant lie. Korkie hadn't been studying politics or Mando'a at all. He'd been studying Elodie's poetry to see if that held any secrets. So far, nothing. 

"Good. How are your friends?"

"They're good."

"That's good. Anything big coming up?"

"No." Yes. Their investigation. Satine looked at him, sensing his lie.

"Korkie, you'd better not be meddling in political affairs," she scolded. Korkie hid his anger. Their 'meddling' had saved her life. 

"We aren't, Auntie," he reassured her. That technically wasn't a lie. If finding a missing girl was politics, then Korkie didn't know what to make of it. His aunt sighed and went back to staring at the fish. Korkie frowned. What did staring at fish do that helped? He decided to give it a try. After a few minutes, he was a bit sleepy. Then he had an idea. 

"Okay, see you next weekend, Auntie!" He yelled as he ran out, backpack in hand. 

"Oh, Korkie. What are you thinking about?" Satine muttered as he left. Korkie ran back to the café. His friends looked up, startled.

"I've got it! We have to find her last name!" 

"That will help narrow our searches. There are quite a lot of Elodies in the galaxy." Soniee said. Lagos nodded in agreement.

"Problem, how do we figure out her last name?" Lucy griped. 

"Tonight will help. Then we can hack into her personal info," Soniee announced. The rest of them looked at her in shock. 

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" Soniee said, holding up her hands in surrender.

"Anyway, what's up with you guys?" Lucy said.

"A few big tests coming up that we haven't prepared for at all," Lagos admitted.

"Sweet. I can help since I really need something to do," Lucy offered. For the rest of the afternoon, they studied Mando'a and the political workings of a dictatorship. Life was good. For now.