Vision of the future

'And we need his help?'

'Not particularly,' Karrde said. 'But getting his permission to travel through the area would make things easier.'

'Ah,' Shada said, frowning at his profile. This didn't sound like the casually fearless Talon Karrde she'd heard so many stories about from Mazzic and other smugglers. 'We're worried about things being easy, are we?'

He smiled. 'Always,' he said. His tone was light, but Shada could hear an odd hollowness behind it.

'Ah—Captain Karrde?' Threepio spoke up hesitantly. 'Will you be needing my services on this visit?'

Karrde smiled. 'No, Threepio, thank you,' he assured the droid. 'As I said, Basic is the official language down there. You can stay on the ship with the others.'

The droid seemed to wilt with relief. 'Thank you, sir.'

Karrde shifted his attention back to Shada. 'We'll go lightly armed—sidearm blasters only.'

'Understood,' Shada said. 'But I'll let you carry the blaster.'

'Worried about things getting violent?' Dankin put in.

'Not at all,' Shada said coolly, getting up from her seat and heading for the bridge door. 'I just prefer that my opponents not know what direction the violence is going to come from. I'll be in my cabin, Karrde—let me know when you're ready.'

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were down. Fifteen minutes after that, upon payment of their landing fee and a brief negotiation regarding additional 'protection' costs with a trio of white-uniformed Pembric Security Legionnaires, Karrde and Shada were walking down the streets of the Erwithat Spaceport.

It was not, to Karrde's mind, what one would exactly call an inspiring place. Even at midday a haze seemed to shroud the whole city, diffusing the sunlight and adding a dankness to the occasional breezes that stirred the hot air without any perceptible cooling effect. The ground was composed of wet sand, molecular-compressed where walkways were needed, a far cry from the permacrete that was the modern construction standard. The buildings lining the walkways were made from some kind of plain but solid-looking white stone, its onetime cleanliness now marred by the brown and green mottlings of dirt and mold. A sprinkling of pedestrians roamed the streets, most showing the same general deterioration as the spaceport itself, and here and there a hurrying swoop or landspeeder could be glimpsed between the buildings.

It was, in short, very much the way Mara's report from seven years ago had painted it. Except probably a little shabbier.

'Terrific place,' Shada commented from beside him. 'I get the feeling I'm a little overdressed.' Karrde smiled. Dressed in a form-fitting dress glittering with subdued blue lights, she did indeed stand out dramatically against the general drabness. 'Don't worry about it,' he assured her. 'As I said earlier, Bombaasa is a cultured sort of crimelord. You can never be too overdressed for that type.' He glanced at her. 'Though personally, I have to say I prefer the silver and dark red outfit you wore when we first met at the Whistler's Whirlpool on Trogan.'

'I remember that outfit,' she said, her voice oddly distant. 'It was the first one Mazzic bought me after I became his bodyguard.'

'Mazzic always did have good taste,' Karrde agreed. 'You know, you still haven't told me why you left his service so suddenly.'

'You haven't told me anything about this Jorj Car'das character we're looking for,' Shada countered.

'Keep your voice down,' Karrde said sharply, glancing around them. There didn't seem to be anyone within earshot, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. 'That's not a name you want to casually toss around here.'

Even staring straight ahead, he could feel Shada's eyes on him. 'He's really got you spooked, hasn't he?' she said quietly. 'You weren't exactly thrilled about all this when Calrissian talked you into hunting him down; but he's really got you spooked.'

'You'll understand someday,' Karrde told her. 'After I'm able to tell you the whole story.' She shrugged, her shoulder brushing briefly up against his arm with the motion. 'Let's compromise,' she suggested. 'Once we're off Pembric, you can tell me half the story.'

'Interesting proposal,' Karrde said. 'Agreed; but only if you in turn tell me half the reason why you left Mazzic.'