The White Twi'lek/Chapter 7

It took Jali the better part of the afternoon to find something on Vertey’s datapad that he could go on, and that was with a visit to a Jenet he knew called Bremen, a slicer who worked near the Column Commons behind the offices of the Galaxy Star. Yet the datapad had given him a name, nothing more, but it was still something.

He placed a call to a Zeltron called Miarka, then went back to his apartment for a shower and change of clothes. Barely an hour later, Jali had to find his comlink while clad in his jocks so he could answer it in time, Miarka confirmed the contact had been made and was waiting for him, and within thirty seconds Jali was revving up his speeder bike and on his way to Vos Gesal Street, to the best source of information on Coruscant outside the official channels—the Seventh Star.

“Jali Dawler,” Miarka greeted as he approached the bar. “I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”

“It’s about what you’ve done with the place, Miarka,” Jali replied, using the same tone of light-sarcasm that she adopted. “It’s kinda disturbing, I hardly know it anymore.”

Miarka raised her eyebrows. “I thought you liked it, everyone else does.”

The Seventh Star had changed since Miarka had bought it off Narks—Jali still had no idea where she had gotten the money, as her wages as a waitress would have been nothing special. The place was cleaned up quite a bit, it was possible to sit down at a table and not have to ask for it to be wiped over before placing one’s elbows on it. There was no longer the trade of narcotics and stimulants—at least not officially sponsored by Miarka, but it probably still happened.

Yet there were things that hadn’t changed. There was still the protocol of the ‘call box’ that curtained-off area behind the bar where information was exchanged. Due to this, most of the usual clientele still used the Seventh Star as a base, in spite of the change of ownership. There were still the dancing girls, the weekly cabaret show; even the gaudy stars decoration remained on the wall. Jali always noticed this when he was there as Tira had used the centre star to hide vital information about him.

Jali shrugged. “I just find I have better things to do these days.”

Miarka sniffed with mock-disdain. “Top-dwellers, they think they know everything,” she spat, “You’re starting to act like one, Jali. You can’t forget about down here, it’s the engine room, everything that moves starts moving in the underlevels.”

Jali smiled at her. “How could I forget that?”

After he ordered a drink, Miarka told Jali that his contact was waiting for him.

“Why didn’t you tell me when I came in?” Jali asked.

“Looked a bit nervous,” Miarka told him. “I wanted him nice and settled before you stomped all over him.”

Jali gave her a long look. “Really Miarka, how do you know I won’t be gentle?”

She was still laughing when Jali had entered the callbox and closed the curtain behind him. Inside, sitting at the table, was his contact, Nobu Djuren. That Judicial, Laras or whatever her name was, had mentioned his name and it had appeared on Vertey’s datapad, that was enough reason in Jali’s mind to check it out.

Nobu was a Bith, with the triangle-shaped head, wet-black eyes and wrinkled face characteristic of his species. He also looked slightly worried, he had half-risen from a sitting position when Jali had entered.

“Jali Dawler?” His voice was just audible, why did this guy seem afraid of him?

Jali stared. “Hey, how do you know who I am?”

Nobu shrugged. “He told me you’d be sniffing around, if you know what’s good for you you’d butt out.”

“I can take care of myself, thanks,” Jali answered shortly.

Nobu stood, and probably would have walked out if Jali hadn't caught him by the shoulder. “Going somewhere?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m going away,” Nobu told him. “It’s worth more than my life to talk to you.”

Nobu tried to fight, but Jali pinned him to the wall so he couldn’t escape. “I’ll make it worth your while if you give me some answers,” Jali said. “Give me five minutes, and if you play nice then you can go on home.”

He slowly released him and Nobu sat down. Jali sat on the chair across from him, keeping his hands under the table to make the Bith feel on edge.

“For starters,” Jali said, licking his lips, “you can tell me who told you to avoid me.”

“That's easy enough, it was a friend of yours,” Nobu answered, “Nuada Vekstar, he sends his regards.”

Jali glowered, that was one avenue blown. “Tell him he can keep his regards to himself.”

“Why don’t you tell him that?” Nobu asked. “If you keep doing what you’re doing, he might have to make a house call.”

“I can do without that sort of disturbance,” Jali said. The last thing he wanted to do was renew his acquaintance with that thug of a Miralukan. But still, the fact that Nuada was doing the threatening, even behind an underling such as Nobu, was pretty good information. It meant that the Silver Ring, the large criminal organisation that he had tangled with last year, was behind Vertey’s death and whatever was happening at Eastport.

“Maybe we better start from the beginning,” Jali suggested. “What’s your part in this operation to make the authorities so interested?”

Nobu looked panicked. “Authorities?” His voice had risen several octaves.

Jali ignored this outburst. “Just answer the question.”

“I supervise the shipments coming into Eastport,” Nobu explained. “I get told when the next one is coming, get to the right docking bay and make sure everything goes right. Then I give out a few considerations, so the right people look the other way.”

“Right people?” Jali repeated. “Like W’kar Fenn?”

Nobu nodded. “He’s the main one, but there are others that have a stake in it that have to be included.”

“Who are they?” Jali asked.

“I dunno,” the Bith admitted. “I just meet their agents, and some of them keep changing. I couldn’t tell you who they work for.”

“Is Trevali one of them?” Jali asked. It was a stab in the dark, but the incredulous look on Nobu’s face told Jali he had hit home.

“Who told you that?” Nobu spat, starting to rise from his seat again. “I've told you far too much, I…”

Jali put a hand on Nobu’s shoulder and with his other hand got out his blaster. “I thought we could do this nice and polite,” Jali said in a calm, measured voice. “Looks like I was wrong.”

Nobu’s mouth opened and closed like a gulping fish. “You wouldn’t…”

Jali brought his face close. “You want to call that bluff?” He whispered. “The only thing Miarka won’t like is that I messed up her parlour.”

The Bith looked down the barrel of the blaster. “All right…I’ll talk,” he decided. “Yes, Trevali is one of the agents, but don’t ask me who she works for as I don’t know.”

“So what’s in these shipments?” Jali asked, settling back in his chair but keeping the blaster on Nobu. From that receipt he had found in Vertey’s belongings, Jali could make a pretty good guess about what was being imported.

“I have no idea,” Nobu confessed. “I’m just the middle-man, the fall-guy, the blind-eyed, half-stupid nerf-herder, you know how it is. No one tells me anything.”

“So what do you get out of all this?” Jali demanded.

Nobu shrugged. “I get paid to make sure everything goes to plan, and a little more now and then to keep my mouth shut.”

“Who pays you then?” Jali asked. “Vekstar?” Nobu nodded. “Figures, he likes front-runners to do his dirty work for him. Tell me about Vertey, apparently you and him had some sort of disagreement.”

Nobu did the Bith equivalent of rolling his eyes, which was tapping his nose with his index finger several times. “He’s a claucher, that’s what.” Jali had no idea what a ‘claucher’ was, but guessed it was not something that he wanted to be. “He found out that I was handling the payments and he threatened me.” He looked up at Jali. “I had to do something.”

“I hear Trevali wasn't pleased about seeing him,” Jali commented.

“Well I don’t know about that either,” Nobu replied with another shrug.

“So who killed Vertey?” Jali asked.

“What makes you think I know anything about that?” Nobu asked.

Jali counted off the reasons on his fingers. “You were one of the last people who saw him alive, you had an argument with him and you were employed by people who saw him as a danger.” Jali smiled. “That’s three very good reasons why you’re a suspect, and I can think of another.”

Nobu almost laughed. “What?”

“I saw you hiding his body the day we found him,” Jali said.

Nobu was really laughing now. “Oh, stuff another limpet up there,” he said when he had recovered himself, “how are you going to prove a load of choobies like that?”

“I don’t have to,” Jali replied, “are you going to tell me that I’m right or that I'm wrong?”

“You’re wrong,” Nobu spat. “I didn’t kill Vertey, and if you’re smart you won’t find out who did kill him.”

“You mind your business, I’ll mind mine,” Jali shot back.

“Chaos take you, then.” Nobu tapped his nose again. “Can I go now? I’ve told you everything I know.”

“There’s still one thing,” Jali said. “When’s the next shipment coming in?”

“Tonight,” Nobu said, when the blaster edged closer he spoke again. “The Shadowfire, bay 3FA-371, seventeen-oh-four.”

Jali checked the chrono on his wrist. “Well, what do you know, that’s an hour from now. How ‘bout we go together?”

Nobu swallowed nervously. “That might be a bad idea.”

“I think it’s an excellent idea,” said Jali.

“But you said I could go when you finished with me,” the Bith whined.

“I changed my mind,” Jali said, gesturing with his blaster. “Get up, and I hope you don’t mind riding on the back of a speeder bike.”

“I do mind,” Nobu protested.

“That's just too bad, then,” Jali replied.